Guardian's Awakening
by VisionaryDame
Summary: Zaria, a Keyblade warrior, was always known to be a loner, traveling to many worlds on a personal mission, and very much preferred it that way. Now, her own journey has led her to cross paths with Sora and his friends on their adventure to save the worlds from the Heartless. But is their meeting merely coincidence, or is there more to the story that meets the eye? [Some CanonOC]
1. Prologue

She never considered herself to be a hero by any means. The term was almost foreign and strange to her. Ever since she was a young girl, the idea of being heroic was a dream she did not pursue, an idea she did not grow. Just the mere thought of being one frightened her, made her turn tail in the opposite direction. To her, being a hero meant throwing your life on the line for the sake of others. It would mean putting your fears aside and standing up to them, no matter the consequences that would follow. It meant standing up and becoming a beacon of light that others would look up to, admire, praise.

Being a hero was all of these things and more, yet the thought scared her. She was afraid of putting her life on the line, of dying to protect the life of another. She believed her fears would outweigh her bravery, thus making her incapable of standing up to them and fighting them. The idea of being admired and praised by many kept her up at night because she feared that, if she screwed up, people would think much differently of her. It made her sick to her stomach, dizzy, and downright nervous just pondering the thought.

As a child, one would not even consider performing the acts a hero would make. As a child, one would want to enjoy the simple things in life: friends, family, the outdoors. As a child, that was the way she spent her days. However, that all changed one day, and all it took was a request from a person whose face she barely remembers:

"You have to promise me that, no matter what happens and no matter the consequences, you will have the courage and the strength to protect the people you care about most. You have to promise me that you will guard those people with your life, and you will protect them from the darkness."

Yes, it was a request that was hard to accept, especially for her, but when she remembered the people she cared about - her friends, family, and life - she knew better than just to let them slip away. It was why she chose to accept that request without hesitation, without question, in the hopes that one day that strength to protect others, to be a guardian of sorts, would come to her.

Unfortunately, mustering up that strength to stand up to the darkness was much easier said than done.

The memories of those days flashed through her head as the girl slowly opened her eyes, staring up at the emptiness above her. It was not blue like the cloudless skies of a summer day, but dark and gloomy as if it were to rain at any moment. Blue eyes stared into the void for what seemed like an eternity, blinking slowly and almost rhythmically and breathing in a similar pattern. It felt as though her body was not there, almost like she was floating in the abyss by herself. As she continued to stare, she was half-expecting something, anything, to appear in front of her and force her to move. She was anticipating a face to appear from the shadows and possibly frighten her or even make her laugh, but nothing of the sort happened. It just appeared as if she was thrust into a black and empty void, leaving her with nothing but her thoughts and memories to keep her company.

The silence was the worst part of it. Not being able to hear a sound would have driven anyone to a panicked state of mind or even to the brink of insanity. Not being able to see anything was a bad enough, but having it coupled with silence without so much as a warning as to whether or not you could hear was far worse. It was like trying to anticipate was going to happen, but at the same time doubting whether something would happen or if it was just going to remain dead.

The fact that she was not reacting that way - all panicked and frightened beyond all reason - surprised her a bit. She was expecting to be at least somewhat terrified, yet she felt nothing. Nothing but calm.

 _I'm dreaming_ , she thought to herself. It was only in her dreams that she felt this kind of serenity and peace come over her, but it was a first to feel like she was in an empty void with nothing around her. She did not have time to ponder this thought, however, as she, after what seemed like years, heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Wake up."

It was upon hearing those words that all feeling returned to her body, and she immediately felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Using her hands to feel around for a moment, it felt like she was lying on a marble floor. Not the most comfortable thing to be lying on, but it certainly was better than floating in nothing. At least, it was better than the feeling of falling.

She swallowed the lump that quickly formed in her throat after that thought. Best not to think of that scenario.

After some time, she closed her eyes and started moving her body: first her arms, then her head, and finally her legs. She used her arms and hands to lift her body from the floor and raised her head so that it would hang forward just as she started moving her legs to her chest. The motions were slow and cautious as if she had not been able to move them in a long time, but she was fortunate that she was not in any pain. Once her knees were close enough to her chest, she used her legs to lift herself slowly up off the ground and stand tall, while exhaling the breath she did not realize she was holding in.

A beat had passed before she opened her eyes once more, looking down at the floor that she stood on and caught glimpses of an image. Furrowing her brows out of confusion, she slowly looked up more and noticed the floor around her. She realized she was standing on a gray platform in the middle of nothing, an intricately designed platform that seemed to appear from the darkness. The image on the floor had the picture of what looked to be a young woman sleeping peacefully, her arms folded over her stomach and her hair laid out in a similar manner to that of a fan. Her straight, long hair was shaded black and white, but the colors were separated on either side of her with the black hair to her left and the white hair to her right. Her skin was near pale, but it did not appear as though she was sickly or worse. Her attire was something the girl had never actually seen before, but she did hear about it. The woman was dressed similarly to a geisha, sporting a yukata-styled kimono that stopped just at her knees. The sleeves were almost skin tight, but they resembled bell sleeves, as they opened up more just as they reached her hands. The color of the kimono itself was a gray shade, but it would have been whiter had it not been for the massive white heart shape in the background. The kimono also had black floral designs appearing from the hems where her knees and hands were, almost as if they were growing out and upward. Around her waist was a mere black obi, though the bow itself seemed to be non-existent. When she looked at the woman's feet, the girl noticed that she was wearing white colored buttoned up socks with a split toe - tabi, as the girl recalled - as well as plain black zabi - or sandals. On either side of the sleeping woman were two translucent tear-like shapes, one black to the woman's right and the other white to the woman's left. It almost resembled that of a yin-yang symbol, but it looked almost as if two more people could fit right into those spots. Along the edges of the platform, two symbols appeared to surround it, one replacing the other in it's never ending cycle around the circle. The first symbol showed a white heart, similar to the one that appeared behind the woman, centered in a black circle, and the second symbol showed a simple lining of what seemed to be a black heart centered in a white circle.

The girl stared at the image for a while, trying to put a name to the face with no luck, just as the voice spoke again.

"Look this way, toward the light."

The girl slowly looked forward, only to find a light shining from the darkness and onto the platform. Blue eyes widened a bit, shocked that it was possible that any source of light was capable of breaking through. In that light stood a slender figure, arms seemingly crossed in front of them and standing still as a statue. It did not take long for the girl to recognize who it was, or at least who they appeared to be. The figure looked strikingly similar to the sleeping woman on the floor beneath her. However, she could only see the standing woman from behind. The girl did note that the woman's hair was long enough to reach the middle of her back, which greatly surprised the girl. Nevertheless, she pushed aside those thoughts as she finally found her words and spoke.

"Who...are you?" She was half-expecting her voice to be hoarse as if she had not spoken in a long time, but she was happy that it was not the case.

The woman did not move a muscle as she responded, "Consider me a...good friend."

The girl's eyes narrowed a bit, feeling a bit suspicious by the response.

"A friend?" She inquired. The woman did not respond to that, silently agreeing, so the girl continued. "How can I call you a friend if I don't know you?"

"Would you rather consider me an enemy?" The woman asked, answering the girl's question with another. "If you couldn't tell, I haven't to put you harm's way nor do I have any intentions of doing so."

"Your intentions are still a mystery to me," the girl retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. She paused briefly before saying, "But...I do suppose you're right."

"Here you are safe from harm, my dear," said the woman. "This is where your heart resides. And your heart is filled with light. Darkness cannot enter."

The girl's eyebrow raised questionably.

"If this is my heart, then how did you get here?"

It was at this moment that the woman laughed softly, which annoyed the girl. Why was she laughing?

"That's a story for another day," she answered. The girl frowned as the woman continued. "Instead, I have something to tell you. Something important."

In a matter of moments, the girl's attitude changed to one of curiosity.

"Oh?"

The girl could sense a smile form on the woman's face.

"Fate has brought you to the island you're currently on, my child."

Curiosity changed to surprise as the girl's arms fell to their sides. _This woman is certainly something else_ , she told herself. _How does she know where I am right now?_ That was when the girl remembered that she was dreaming, a thought that crossed her mind not that long ago. Did this woman somehow invade her dreams? If so, how and why would she do such a thing?

"What are you talking about?" The girl wondered.

The woman's head turned ever so slightly in the girl's direction, her hair swaying side to side briefly, as she said, "Fate has led you to the island on which you stand. As if you were destined to be there."

"I...I don't understand." The girl shook her head. "I've just been traveling worlds in search of my friends. I just so happened to end up here."

"You never questioned how you ended up there?" The woman inquired though the tone of her voice implied that she already knew the answer to the question.

Without a word, the girl raised her hand in front of her, inhaling and exhaling. After a moment of time, a soft light flashed in front of her, and an object appeared in her outstretched hand. The object was that of a key-like weapon, seemingly out of place from other weapons. The hilt of the blade was circular and had a pair of wings jutted out on either side just a bit. Attached to the end of the weapon was a small chain where a small orange colored sun was hanging from the end of it. At the hilt of the blade was a similarly colored sun, standing out from the rest of the weapon. The blade itself extended until it created a heart shaped opening at the top, the inside of the form dusted with a faint yellow. The teeth of the weapon resembled that of a rising sun appearing from the horizon, the curved rays pointing out and sharpened. The color of the blade was a blend from black to white. The hilt was darker at the bottom of the blade, but there were notable white dots scattered here and there. It resembled the night sky, but as it went on it slowly started to grow into a brighter gray shade. By the time it reached the connection between hilt and blade, it was already gray except the sun in the middle. The color continued to turn brighter and brighter as it went up until it was completely white. Lastly, around the blade was a spiral design wrapping around the entirety of the blade, starting at the bottom as a purple shade all the way to the tip of the blade where it changed to blue.

The girl smiled as she gazed upon the weapon, admiring it as she had done many times before, before looking up at the woman, who did not turn around to see it.

"I know how I got here." The girl stated confidently. "My Keyblade brought me here."

"Did you tell it to take you here, or did it simply take you there without you knowing where you would end up next?" The woman inquired almost instantly, showing no response to the girl revealing her weapon. The girl, who was both surprised and baffled by her question, did not respond. Her eyes shifted to her arm, weapon in hand, slowly fell to her side once more. Before the silence set in, the woman continued, "I assumed as much. You don't know how to control where it takes you nor do you know how it finds a new world."

"So what?" The girl finally snapped. She felt like the woman was mocking her, and the girl did not like it. "That doesn't mean that I'm incapable of using it!"

"I never said that you were," the woman calmly stated. She did not seem alarmed by the girl's outburst. "Nevertheless, the question remains: do you know exactly how it takes you from place to place?" The girl did not respond, once again unable to provide an answer, and the woman continued. "To put it simply, that Keyblade was drawn to the light that resides on the island. It is attracted to the light that lives in all worlds. The island, however, has someone whose light has enough strength to be noticed from far away." The woman laughed again. "Odd that you weren't drawn to that light long ago. Maybe it wasn't prepared. Or rather..."

She stopped speaking, leaving the girl confused.

"Or rather what?"

"Or rather it was waiting for the right time to bring you." She suggested. "As I said, fate has brought you to the island for a reason."

Before the girl could ask any questions, the woman suddenly started walking forward, moving out of the light and towards the edge of the platform. Confused, the girl started walking after her.

"But...but I don't understand!" The girl stammered. "What does that even mean?"

The woman reached the edge before stopping, one step away from falling off the edge. The girl stopped as well, stepping into the light the woman once stood under, and waited for her response. After a long moment of silence, the woman outstretched her arms and inhaled, as if she were mentally preparing herself for what was to happen next. A few more beats of silence passed before the woman slowly began to lean forward. Just before the girl could move to stop her, the woman finally spoke.

"You will see, and you will understand soon enough..." she said as she began to fall off the edge and into the abyss. "...Zaria."

The girl, Zaria, was left dumbfounded as the woman disappeared, leaving her on the platform alone once again. Just as the silence was starting to set in, she looked up at the light that shined down on her, realizing the light was becoming brighter and brighter. It was a calming view and one that did not blind her. She continued to look at it as the light continued to grow bigger. Just before she became engulfed in the light, she slowly closed her eyes and breathed deeply, accepting the fate that would befall her.

 _Fate has brought me to the island for a reason_ , she thought to herself. _I wonder what she means by that..._

* * *

"Zaria? Miss Zaria? Wake up!"

A voice called to her in a seemingly frantic manner, her body shifting from side to side in an attempt to wake her. Unfortunately for her, it appeared to work, as she began to stir. The sounds of seagulls, crashing waves, and the creaking of boards was heard around her, letting her know that she was indeed waking up. Her eyes slowly began to open while she grumbled. Instead of being surrounded by darkness or enveloped in the light, she found herself staring at a wooden ceiling above her. For a moment, she wondered what she was watching. Her mind was still a bit hazy, making it difficult to get a better idea as to what was happening, but it was not long before she started to remember.

"I'm...still on the island..." She muttered out loud. It was evident that she sounded very groggy as she spoke. "Right...?"

"But of course, Miss Zaria. Where else would we be?" The voice spoke again, grabbing her attention.

She turned her head in the direction in which it came from and spotted a familiar figure standing nearby. A short, rabbit-lion hybrid creature stood next to her, a look of concern in his dark red eyes while his human-esque paws folded in front of him, holding onto his lion tail. Despite the look of concern in his eyes and his ears falling back behind his head, a universal sign of fear, she could still notice the small smile forming on his furry face, a smile of relief. The look made her smile softly.

"Good morning, Dimitri," she mumbled before sitting up. She lifted a hand to eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them.

Dimitri's smile grew as he said, "Good morning to you, Miss Zaria. Did you sleep well?" Her hand fell to her lap as she glanced at him, making a noise that did not sound confident. He frowned at that. "I was afraid you would say that. You were talking in your sleep."

Zaria turned her head to look at him thoroughly, raising an eyebrow.

"I did it again?" She asked, her tone of voice unfazed by the news. After Dimitri nodded, she could not help but sigh. "Man, I thought I was over that."

"Would you be comfortable enough to tell me what you dreamt about?" He inquired. "If not, I completely understand."

Zaria pursed her lips, thinking about how she could word what she saw in her dreams without sounding mad. While she knew all too well that her animal companion would never judge her for expressing what was going on in her head, it still felt strange telling him things that she did not fully understand. She was worried that he would not have an answer to satisfy her. She did not know if he truly had an answer that would put to rest all the questions that circled in her mind. As intelligent as he may have been, he could not answer every question she had.

After a moment, she sighed. She may have known that he would not have an answer, but that did not mean she had to keep it a secret. It just would not be right.

"Well..." She slowly started. "It...wasn't a nightmare, but it was confusing, to say the least." She paused as she looked out at the opening to the outside. "I was standing on a platform in the middle of a black void. I couldn't hear anything at all, but I knew I wasn't deaf. Then, I heard a voice I had never heard before. When I got up from the floor, I saw that it was a woman."

"Did you recognize her?" Dimitri questioned, sitting down next her while keeping his gaze on her.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. She didn't sound familiar." She looked up, thinking about the mysterious woman. "Then again, I wasn't able to see her completely. I know for certain that her hair was black and white, and it was long. She had her back toward me..." She looked forward again in realization, making Dimitri's ears perk up. "Oh, but I do recall seeing her picture on the platform beneath me. She appeared to be sleeping, though, so it wasn't much help." Her hand fell against her chin as she thought. "She said something about how fate had lead me to this island for a reason. The reason being was that a "light with enough strength" attracted my Keyblade and sent me here."

"Well, that's strange." He commented, his ears falling back again as he looked forward. "I don't remember meeting or seeing anyone with that hair color, nor do I know what that could mean."

"Neither do I," she agreed. Her brows furrowed moments later. "But you know...it...definitely felt like I knew her." He looked back at her, ears rising once again. "I know for sure that I've never seen her before in my life, but it just felt like I knew her." Her head lowered. "If only I got a better look at her face...well, when she didn't look like she was sleeping."

His ears fell back once again as his head lowered.

"I wish I could help you, Miss Zaria, but unfortunately, I don't know what to make of it." He spoke, his voice sounding apologetic. When she looked at him, he perked up, a look of determination. "But one thing is for sure. I'll be more than happy to keep an eye out for anything that helps in figuring out who that woman is and any clues as to what she could mean."

Her expression changed to one of surprise. "You'd do that for me?"

"But of course!" His smile grew. "After all, it's only fair since you saved my life!"

She stared him for a long moment before a small smile formed on her lips and a hand fell on his head.

"That means a lot, Dimitri." She murmured. "Thank you." He could not help but smile brightly at that while she finally got to her feet and stretched. "Well, I think it's time to put that thought on the back burner for now. We are here for a reason, after all."

Without missing a beat, Dimitri climbed onto her shoulder.

"You're right. We have no time to lose!" He cheered.

With a simple nod, Zaria stepped toward the entrance to the outside, completely unaware of the adventure that was about to unfold, unaware of the fate that was about to be unveiled.


	2. Destiny Island

" _-But don't be afraid_."

" _You hold the mightiest weapon of all._ "

" _So don't forget: You are the one who will open the door_."

Those were the last few words that crossed his mind moments before the darkness had swallowed him. All he could remember was the unfamiliar voice and all feeling in his body just going numbing. It was as if he was slowly disappearing from existence altogether. However, just before it seemed like he lost all hope, he found himself listening to the familiar sounds of seagulls flying above and the sound of crashing waves pounding against the beaches in his ears once more. He could feel the rays from the sun above him warm his body, while the cool, crisp the air brushed against him and tugged at his clothing and brown hair. The feeling of the sand beneath him began to return along with all sense in his body. It was like he could feel the darkness slowly disappearing as if the sounds of the beaches pushed it away and set him free.

When he was confident that he was safe, his blue eyes slowly began to open, finding himself staring up at the bright blue sky above him, noting the few clouds that were now scattered here and there.

Nothing seemed to have changed since he decided to rest on the edge of the shore, other than the clouds that were not there before. All he remembered was that he was taking a little break, and he thought a nap would be the best option to get a bit of rest. That was the last thing he remembered before dozing off and having a rather strange dream - if he could even consider calling it that as it certainly did not feel like one. He remembered the strange voice that showed the way, the weird platforms showcasing different images of people and things he did not know, that dark monster that appeared from his shadow and attacked him, and indeed being swallowed by darkness. The mere thought of it was enough to keep anyone up at night. Despite feeling he had full control over what he was doing, he was incapable of waking himself up from his dream - or rather his nightmare - and putting all behind him. It was almost as if he was supposed to experience all those events. Like someone had intentionally planned for it to happen.

The boy blinked. Very unlikely, but he still could not rule it out.

After a moment, the boy slowly sat up, looking out at the seemingly endless ocean in front of him with tired eyes. Even though he experienced what he believed was a nightmare, he still felt the need to rest for a little while longer. After all, he had all the time in the world to make the raft, so what kind of harm was done by getting another few minutes of sleep?

Upon that thought, the boy yawned and fell back into the sand, only instead of looking up at the sky, he found himself looking up at a pair of blue eyes.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed, jumping back up in surprise. It turned out he was still skittish from the dream he had, but it did not take long for him to realize what was going on. Flipping himself over, he turned to face a giggling red-haired girl, a face he knew too well. "Gimme a break, Kairi."

"Sora, you lazy bum." The girl, Kairi, teased as she stood up straight, her hands moving to rest behind her back. "I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here."

It was then that the boy, Sora, remembered his dream, his panic setting once more.

"No! This huge, black thing swallowed me up!" He started to explain, speaking rather quickly as he looked down at the sand as he continued, "I couldn't breathe! I couldn't-Ow!"

He was cut off by Kairi clocking him on the head, ending his frantic ramblings as soon as they started.

"Are you still dreaming?" She asked, leaning forward so that she was close to him while he briefly rubbed the spot where she hit him.

"It wasn't a dream!" He responded as he looked at her, only to second guess himself and returned his gaze to the sand. "Or was it? I don't know." He blinked. "What was that place? So bizarre..."

"Yeah sure," Kairi quipped, earning another look from Sora while she walked passed him and towards the water's edge. It was then he decided to change the subject.

"Say, Kairi," he started, watching as she stopped at the edge, "what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up."

"I've told you before," Kairi began with a small chuckle, "I don't remember."

"Nothing at all?" Sora pressed.

"Nothing."

"You ever wanna go back?"

It took a moment for Kairi to respond, as though she considered the option. "Well, I'm happy here."

Sora raised a brow and smiled. "Really..."

"But you know..." She continued, a smile forming on her face once more, "I wouldn't mind going to see it."

"I'd like to see it too!" Sora agreed, moving so that he was now sitting instead of kneeling. "Along with any other words out there! I wanna see 'em all!"

Kairi turned to Sora, her smile bright as ever.

"So what're we waiting for?"

"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?" Another voice chimed in, grabbing Sora's and Kairi's attention to the third member of their group, another teenage boy with silver hair and bright blue-green eyes carrying a log under one arm whom they knew as Riku, staring them down as if he caught them slacking off. It was clear that he was older and a bit stronger than Sora and Kairi. "So, I guess I'm the only one workin' on the raft." He stated moments before tossing the log over to Sora, who was caught off guard by the action and knocked over while Kairi giggled. "And you're just as lazy as he is!"

Kairi's hand found its way to the back of her head, yet she still smiled. There was no way she could lie her way out of this one.

"So you noticed." She admitted just as Riku sat down next to Sora to rest. "Okay, we'll finish it together! I'll race you!" Both boys looked at her, taken aback by the sudden suggestion.

"Huh?"

"What? Are you kidding?" Riku grumbled, having just sat down to rest for a bit along with them.

Not wasting any time, Kairi giggled and shouted, "Ready? GO!"

Without a moment's hesitation, the boys looked at each other before leaping to their feet and sprinting to the other side of the island. They wasted no time leaving Kairi behind while she raced after them, giggling the whole way despite knowing she would never be able to catch up to the boys. Sora and Riku were as neck-and-neck as it could get, and it was difficult to tell who was truly in the lead. The competitive nature in the two was very evident as if it had been there since their childhood, and it was evident that there was no way they would let up just because they were friends. They were rivals as well, and rivals would not simply let the other win without a decent fight. That was how it had always been between the two.

For years, Sora, Riku, and Kairi had been the best of friends on Destiny Island, spending nearly every single day together on the island. From competing against each other to watching the setting sun together, the three were practically inseparable, never going anywhere without the other nearby. Ever since Kairi appeared during a meteor showing, the trio had always been together. The boys were intrigued by the idea that there may have been others worlds outside of their little island that could have existed, and they would have never known. It especially caught Riku's interested, who wanted to see more outside of his world than the other two. It was not until recently they made the decision to build a raft and set sail, hoping to travel to these new worlds, see new sights, and maybe even find Kairi's home to visit. Even though she knew next to nothing about where she had come from, Kairi was more than happy to go out and search for it, and even see new sights along the way with her best friends. As long as she was with them, she was happy to go anywhere.

Now, they were just days away from finally completing the raft itself, days away from setting sail and searching for new worlds. They were excited, ecstatic even, to be so close to truly learning what was out there, outside of their little island they called home, and it was a dream that crossed their minds nearly every night as they slept. They decided to spend the last few days putting the finishing touches on the ship and gathering supplies to help them survive the possibly long journey ahead of them. During this time, Sora spent some of his day to competing with Riku as he had always done since they were young, play-fighting and keeping score as to see who was "winning." It was a tie at the moment, but they aimed to change that before setting sail. Unfortunately, they still wound up remaining even, and it was up to Kairi to send them off to gather more supplies and provisions before the big day. She wanted to be extra sure that things would work out in the end.

Eventually, the sun began to set, and the three found their way to their favorite spot: the paopu tree located on the miniature island nearby, a spot that Sora and Riku did much of their play-fighting as well. Not only was it the perfect little place to spar with one another, but it was also the perfect spot to watch the sun set behind the horizon. It was where they almost always went to when the day came drawing to a close. With Sora and Kairi sitting next to one another on the tree while Riku just remained on the ground and leaned against it with his arms crossed over his chest, they would spend much of their time enjoying the sunset in silence or reminiscing about their lives.

Today, however, was a bit different.

"So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" Sora inquired out of the blue, turning to the others for answers.

"Could be," Riku replied almost instantly, earning Sora's and Kairi's full attention. "We'll never know by staying here."

"But how far could a raft take us?" Sora went on, leaning forward a bit to get a better look at his friend.

"Who knows?" Riku shrugged. "If we have to, we'll think of something else." It was evident he did not want to give up if the raft plan fell through. He was determined to find a way off the island, and Sora and Kairi knew this fact.

"So, suppose you get to another world," Kairi suggested before giggling. "What would you do there?"

It took a moment for Riku to ponder the thought, not having a clear-cut answer to the question. After a brief moment, though, he answered. "Well, I haven't really thought about it." He stared at the water. "Its just...I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one?" He paused briefly, looking out at the sunset. "And suppose there are other worlds. Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater." Sora and Kairi looked at each other before looking back at Riku again. "So...we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else," He looked at his friends, "right?"

"I don't know," Sora responded, moving so that he was now lying on the tree with his hands behind his head.

"Exactly," Riku stated, pushing himself off the tree while his hands fell to his side. "That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing." Kairi looked up at the sky while Sora looked out at the horizon once more. "It's the same old stuff. So let's go."

"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi asked, looking at him once again. It was a question she had meant to ask, but never actually found the time to just talk with him until now.

Riku turned to face her as he spoke. "Thanks to you." Sora looked over at him for a moment but went back to looking out at the setting sun once again. "If you hadn't come here, I probably would have never thought of any of this," Riku smiled. "Kairi, thanks."

Kairi returned the smile as well. "Heh. You're welcome."

By that time, the sun was already starting to disappear behind the horizon line, and the three decided to call it a day. Tomorrow they would continue gathering their supplies, and the day after they would set sail. Whether or not they would truly find what they were looking for was still a mystery and a risk, but it was one they were willing to make together.

One right after the other, they made their way to the shack across the small bridge, with Kairi walking in front while Sora and Riku followed suit. While they were making their way back to their canoes, they failed to notice a hooded figure, completely drenched in sea water, silently climbing her way to the top of the latter located on the small island moments before collapsing onto the floor. Strands of her dampened white hair scattered about upon impact, soaking the sand beneath her while the rest of was hidden away under her black hood. She took a moment to catch her breath, but it was evident that she was mumbling to herself in a rather annoyed and frustrated manner.

"Great idea to swim out here instead of using the path through the damn shack, Zaria." She grumbled to herself, letting out a quiet huff moments after while lifting herself off the floor and bringing herself to her knees. "Genius plan."

Why she believed it was even a remotely good idea to swim out to the island, she would never really know, since she always looked over all the options before making a decision. It seemed like a relatively good idea, seeing as one option was walking across the bridge from the shack, only to create too much noise and draw the attention of the three that once sat along the tree moments ago.

Remembering the three kids that were nearby, she glanced up in their direction and held her breath, watching as the one of the boys ran after the other and into the shack, disappearing altogether. After a moment, she closed her eyes and sighed with relief, slowly getting to her feet and dusting off the sand from her legs. They were finally gone, and not a moment too soon or else she would have climbed her way into getting spotted. What a way to make an entrance and first introduction to three complete strangers. She thought they would never leave after all that talking they did. Granted, she was fortunate enough to have reached the island part of the way through their conversation, but it still felt like they were telling their life's story to each other more than rambling about their desire to leave the island and search for other worlds.

Zaria frowned at the thought as she glanced at her surroundings, eyeing them carefully as if she were waiting for something, or someone, to jump out.

"They're so naive," she muttered, kicking up dust as she stuffed her hands in her pockets.

The mere idea of sailing to "find other worlds" was almost laughable had she not known they were actually serious about it. Just listening to them and the passion in their voices was enough to wipe the smile from her lips and keep her mouth shut. She understood it was much more complicated than that. There was a lot more to it than just building a boat and sailing to wherever the wind takes them, hoping they would come across new worlds. Unless the vessel had special abilities to travel worlds that she did not know about, those kids would never get anywhere other than lost at sea or worse. Nevertheless, she admired how adamant they were. She may have been about the same age as they were, but she had a much different upbringing than they did. She knew things they knew nothing about, and it saddened her a bit just thinking about it.

She sighed again before straightening herself and glancing around once more. There was no time to ponder the lives of people she did not know. She was here for a reason, and she was not going to waste another moment.

"Damn, they must have disappeared," she said as she started taking small steps forward. She began moving toward the tree and positioned herself that she was standing behind the base before turning around and facing the sunset. "That figure was standing right...here. They had to be."

Little did the three kids realize was that Zaria had emerged after hiding for most of the day to begin her mission, only to see the trio on the island she was currently standing on, relaxing and enjoying the sunset before heading home. It looked peaceful, even from a distance, but what she also noticed was a mysteriously dark figure standing behind them, watching them without their knowledge. Unsure as to what it could have been, Zaria wasted no time in making her way to the beach, fortunate to find that the other kids had already gone home for the day, and silently slipped into the water. Sure, it may have been a dumb idea, but she was hoping to sneak around and wait for them to leave before climbing onto the island and confronting the strange figure. Unfortunately, she did not take into account that the individual may have already disappeared as soon as the kids started leaving, leaving Zaria to stand on that small chunk of land, soaked to the bone and dumbfounded.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she tugged at the front of her hood and pulled it over her eyes a bit.

"Man, Dimitri's gonna be worried sick." She muttered, placing her hand back in the pockets of her jacket while looking out at the falling sunset once more. "Leaving him behind was bad enough since he hates swimming, but coming back to tell him I lost the figure?" She sighed. "He'll worry about me not finding them again..."

Just as she finished her sentence, Zaria suddenly felt an overwhelming, depressed feeling take over her mind. It was a feeling she felt one too many times before, and she hated it every bit of it. Blue eyes fell to the ground while she began chewing on the inside of her cheek softly.

 _I really thought it could have been one of them_ , she thought to herself, her shoulders sinking ever so slightly. _I really did..._

Zaria remembered why she was there on the island. She remembered the mission that, for as long as she could remember, kept her busy for quite some time. It was a mission that left her restless to the point where sleeping was rarely an option for her. She was here in search of her two long lost friends, whom she had not seen in what seemed like an eternity. Years went by since the last time she truly spoke or even saw them, and it was during that period that she actually felt alone. The memories of her days playing with them replayed in her mind, but instead of making her happy it only saddened Zaria even further. Of course, she had Dimitri by her side to keep her company, and to her it meant the world, but it was not enough to fill the emptiness inside her heart. The missing pieces that once made her happy, the people that made her smile the most, were now missing, taken away from her without so much as a care in the world. Despite that, she made a vow, a vow that brought her to those islands along with many other worlds like it. She promised herself that she would find them someday, whether it would be in a few days or in several years, and she would do everything in her power to protect them. She would never let them go, and she would never allow anyone to take them away from her again.

Unfortunately, fate had a funny way of messing with her head from time to time. On some occasions, she would find clues as to where either of them could have been, following the trail for as long as possible, only to be lead her dead ends or into danger. Time and time again, the same scenario would repeat itself, to the point where Zaria was unsurprised when she ended up back where she started: depressed, alone, defeated. Some of the people who knew her story were still shocked by her unyielding will to spend her time searching, while others encouraged her to keep going and that she would find them someday.

The thought put a smile on her face as she looked back at the sky, a look of determination crossing her face.

"I will find you guys again," she spoke aloud. "I promised that I would find you and that I'd protect you in ways that I couldn't do so before." A breeze brushed against her, rustling her clothes a bit. "No matter what happens, we'll be reunited again soon. I can feel it in my heart."

With that said, she did her best to push away any feelings of doubt in her mind and replaced them with feelings of encouragement. Time may have passed, but it nothing to crush her will to keep going. Her smile remained as she continued to look at the sky, enjoying the sights and sounds of the beach for a little while longer.

Little did she realize that she was being watched from afar, watched by one of the teenagers that she had hoped would not see her.

"Sora?"

The sound of his name caught him off guard as he looked over to Riku and Kairi, who were standing by their respective canoes and looking at him each with differing expressions: Kairi with a look of concern and Riku with a look of confusion. Sora did not realize that he had spaced out, and it appeared as if they were trying to grab his attention for quite some time.

"Are...you okay?" Riku inquired as he approached him, noting the almost dazed look in Sora's eyes.

"Huh? O-oh, yeah. I'm okay!" He stammered a bit, quickly putting on a smile of reassurance.

"It looked like you saw something strange," Kairi pointed out. The tone of her voice matched the look on her face perfectly. She was worried.

Sora's smile disappeared as he returned his gaze back to the island they were at some time ago.

While he was making his way to his canoe, he had a strange feeling come over him. It was something he never really felt before, and it baffled him to the point where he just stopped walking. It was a feeling that told him someone else was there on the island with them. Without actually thinking, his gaze made it's way over to the island they were just on, only to notice an unfamiliar figure standing by the paopu tree, a figure he had never seen before. They were just standing there, looking out at the sky and admiring the scenery. It was hard to tell if they were from the main lands, having snuck onto the island to be alone for a while, or if they were someone entirely new. He did not recall seeing an extra canoe when he arrived with the others nor did he know of anyone that came to the island once everyone had gone home for the day.

Unfortunately, he would not get that answer that day.

When he looked back over to the island once again, expecting the figure to still be there, he was surprised to find they had already disappeared, vanished without a trace. It boggled his mind. It was almost as if his mind were playing tricks on him again, much like the dream he had that morning when in reality it was just a simple mind game. Maybe he just saw things. Maybe that dream was starting to get to his head again. Or maybe...

"I...I thought I did," he finally spoke, still looking out at where the figure once stood. "But, maybe it was just my imagination."

"Maybe you are still dreaming," Kairi teased as he looked back, earning a playful glare from him. "Not to worry, you'll have plenty of rest once you get home."

"And you'll help with the raft instead of dozing off this time," Riku chimed in, patting Sora's shoulder before turning to hop into his canoe.

Sora simply grinned in response, moving toward his own canoe. Before he jumped in, however, he stole one last glance at the island, expecting the figure to appear once again, only to find nothing. It was the same as it was when they left it. Not wanting to worry the others, he simply shrugged it off and hopped into his canoe.

 _Maybe it is my mind playing games again..._


	3. Encounters

It was oddly calm that evening by the time Riku and his friends had returned to the main lands, ready to get a good night's rest before tomorrow. After saying goodbye to Sora and Kairi for the night, Riku wasted no time in making his trek back home. As much as he would have enjoyed the scenic view of the nighttime sky, he felt anxious, in a good way, about what the next few days would bring for him and his friends.

The fact that their journey was days away made him all the more excited. All their talk about setting sail and visiting new places outside of their island was no long just a thought or a dream. It was no longer just a fantasy that would cease to exist. It was finally becoming a reality for him and his friends. There was no one more excited or happier to see those worlds than Riku. He could not help but wonder what it was going to be like out there. What kind of people would he meet once they left their tiny little island? How would they treat someone like him and his friends? What kind of sights would he see? Anything new? Exotic? How long would it take to reach those new worlds? All those questions and more raced through his mind. It would be a real miracle if he got even a little bit of sleep that night.

Just thinking about it made him groan as he began to stretch.

"Man, can't these days go any faster?" He wondered out loud. "Can't we just set sail tomorrow morning?"

As much as he would have enjoyed that, he knew for certain Kairi was not going to let that happen. They may have been good friends, and she may have understood how much he's been thinking about it, but it did not change the fact that she wanted to be extra cautious. She wanted to make sure everything was in order, that they had enough to survive and all the provisions checked out on Kairi's list. As much as he would have liked to go out and travel, there was no way he was going to get through Kairi. He would get an earful if he tried to get the ball rolling too early, especially with her taking charge. Still, he could not blame her entirely. After all, there was no telling what would happen out there, and a raft carrying three teens could only do so much for them.

While he was thinking, he suddenly stopped walking, his body tensing up. A chill ran down his spine in that instant, and he refused to move a single muscle. As he was walking, he felt as though someone was standing right behind him, staring him in a rather uncomfortable manner. He could not feel or hear any breathing nearby, but he was sure that it felt like someone was watching him. He knew it could not have been Sora or Kairi; they lived on the other side from where he lived. There was no way they would have reached Riku without him hearing their footsteps against the ground. They knew better than to try and sneak up on him. Everyone did. So...who could it have been?

Riku, with his eyes narrowed, continued to stand there in silence, waiting for whoever - or whatever - was there to make the move first. If someone was following him, then no doubt they would have caught on to the fact that he was aware of their presence. Other than the sound of distant waves crashing against the beach, he was only met with silence. No shifting of feet, no heavy breathing, nothing. While anyone else would have just assumed it was probably just their imagination, Riku knew better. He knew better than to brush it off. He was aware that for certain that someone was looking at him, and he was certainly not going to stand there and let them gawk at him for no reason.

After waiting another moment or so, he quickly turned around and surveyed his surroundings, hoping to catch something that appeared out of place. He looked over the entrance to alleyways, the tops of buildings, and even down the pathway that he was just walking on toward his home. He scanned everything that was in sight but found nothing out of the ordinary. It was just empty, and he was all alone with his only companion being the moonlight and stars.

His brows furrowed and he exhaled. He did not realize he was holding his breath, too.

"Weird..." He mumbled to himself. "I could have sworn someone was watching me." As much as he did not watch to simply brush it off, there was not much he could do. With a sneer, he slowly turned forward again and continued walking, only, this time, he was much more cautious of his surroundings. "Better not be some stupid trick."

Without another word, he reached his home and went inside, not wanting to spend another second out there. Sighing with relief, he opened, looked around one last time, and entered. Unfortunately, for him, just as he shut the door, he turned around and made eye contact with something that nearly frightened him out of his skin. He stood there for a moment before pulling the door open once more, hoping to find what he saw standing right in front of him, only to find nothing. His eyes darted all over in hopes of seeing it again, but there was nothing once again. Hesitantly, he closed the door back up and locked, letting out a heavy sigh.

He could have sworn that, just seconds before the door shut, his eyes made contact with a pair of unsettlingly bright, yet evil looking yellow eyes.

* * *

The next morning had started off like any other for Sora and his friends on Destiny Island. From play-fighting with one another to see who was the best to gathering more supplies for his trip with Riku and Kairi, it was not much different from any other. When he arrived on the island that morning, he was reminded by Selphie, one of his good friends that joined him on the island, about the paopu fruit legend and its supposed "power," the one where sharing it with someone would intertwine their destinies or something. Just listening to her reminisce about how "romantic" it was only reminded Sora of the brief conversation he had with Riku yesterday concerning it, one that made him a little flushed in the face.

He recalled hearing his name while they were leaving, and as he turned around, he reacted quickly to Riku tossing over the star-shaped fruit.

"You wanted one, didn't you?" He asked him while Sora looked it over in confusion.

"A paopu fruit?"

"If two people share one," he started explaining as he began walking toward him, "their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what." Sora did not know how to respond as Riku passed him; he kept observing the fruit with a confused look before turning around to look at his friend. "C'mon, I know you wanna try it."

"What are you talking-" Sora started but stopped himself when it sank in completely. Just as he did, Riku started laughing and started running ahead, while Sora tossed the fruit off the bridge and chased after him, his face turning as red as his clothes.

The exchange was one he did not anticipate, yet it was hard not to think about it. Riku gave that fruit to Sora so that he could share it with Kairi, implying that there may have been something going on between the two, something romantic. Looking back on it, he did not know how to response to such an assumption. Yes, he did care for Kairi very much just like he did for all his friends, so much he would do anything to protect them, but sharing a paopu fruit with her? Was that even an option? How would she feel about sharing a fruit with him? How would she react?

Remembering how Selphie described it as "romantic" just made him feel weird. Whether that was a good or bad thing, he did not know for sure.

Granted, along with asking one too many questions about fruits and legends, Sora, unbeknownst to the others, still wondered about the mysterious figure that caught his eye before he left the island yesterday. It still bothered him that he was able to catch sight of them moments before they disappeared, unable to ask Riku and Kairi about it and possibly figure out who it may have been. He was worried about bringing it up again not because he was afraid of what they would think, but because he already knew their answer before he even asked: "I don't know what to tell you." All night long he told himself it was just a product of a dream, believing that it may have been an illusion or mind trick. Even before he arrived, he was still trying to convince himself that that was the case all along. However, no matter how hard he tried, the question of "What if?" still reared its head. He just could not put it past him; he could not shake the feeling that the figure was not fake, but real.

Sora sighed as he opened the door leading to the other side of the island. Maybe he would find out some day soon.

"Hey, Sora." He suddenly heard his name. When he looked over, he noticed Riku standing by the edge, as if he were looking out at the sea. "Our raft still needs a name." He crossed his arms and thought for a moment as Sora approached him. "Let's see... How about Highwind?" Sora made a bit of a face at the name but said nothing. "What would you call it?" Riku went on, looking to him to hear his suggestion.

Sora blinked. "Me? Well...hmm..." He thought for longer than Riku, but when the name came to him, he lit up. "Excalibur!"

Riku mirrored a similar expression to Sora's upon hearing the name, a look at just screamed he did not like it in the slightest. That was when he had an idea. "Hey, how 'bout..."

Sora beat him to the punch with a simple, "The usual?"

Riku smirked at that. Sora knew him all too well.

"Let's do it!"

"You guys at it again?" The boys looked over to find Kairi appearing on the short bridge. It was almost as if she knew what the two were up to without having to be there. "All right, I'll be the judge.

She, then, went on to explain the usual rules that went down during one of Sora and Riku's competitions, making it relatively short and to the point without taking too much time. The boys wasted no time in lining up at the non-existent starting line. Just as Kairi finished explaining what they had to do, another idea came to Sora, would that would add on to the stakes just a bit.

"If I win," he started, looking over at Riku, "I'm captain! And if you win..."

"I get to share the paopu with Kairi."

"Huh?" The response threw off Sora, and his expression changed to a mixture of surprise and confusion.

Riku looked at Sora and smiled as he said, "Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi."

"Wha...wait a minute!" Sora began but was unable to finish his thought as Kairi spoke up.

"Okay. On my count!"

* * *

"Morning already?" Zaria mumbled, letting out a yawn and stretching her arms above her head as she stepped out into the sunlight from tree house structure. The breeze brushed against her clothes, making them sway from side to side. She decided to spend the night in the empty room located in an abandoned looking treehouse. As far as she could tell, it looked as though no one had ever actually gone inside - except for the fact that there used to be a cloth, and by the time she visited a second time, it was gone. With that knowledge in mind, she thought it was the perfect place to hide out while she searched. "Felt like I went searching all night, but instead I just searched this area. Only to find nothing."

Just as she finished her thought, she felt Dimitri hop onto her shoulder, a smile formed on his face.

"Well, I'm glad it didn't turn out that way, Miss Zaria," he said to her, fixing his vest of wrinkles. "I've seen how many days you've spent without rest, and it was certainly worrisome. It was good to finally see you thinking about your health."

Zaria sighed and shook her head.

"I could have spent all that time searching for my friends," she told him in a mock whining tone, "but instead, I didn't look long or hard enough, and I fell asleep."

Dimitri's expression changed to that of worry. He did not like when she spoke like that, and she was acutely aware of that. Still, it did not change how she felt.

"Getting plenty of rest will keep your strength up," he explained as he leaped off her should and onto the floor. Being as small as he was, landing on the floor from Zaria's shoulder sometimes threw him off balance, but it would not take long to catch himself and stand up straight once more. "Without it, you wouldn't have all the energy you need to keep looking for your friends." Zaria made a noise, one that told him she was not particularly pleased with that fact. "No need for looks. You know it's true."

She pouted briefly.

"Yeah, it is..." She mumbled. "As much as I want to disagree..." With a smile, she looked back toward the ocean. "Well, in any case, today is a brand new day. We can take a peek at the other side of the island and see if we can find anything that can help us."

With that said, Zaria lifted her hood, hiding her hair and face from view, before making her way out into the open while Dimitri crawled his way into the small backpack she had so that he did not stand out. It was just as bright as it had been yesterday, and the calmness remained present even during the night. While she had never been to this island before, it was hard to deny that it was a place she would love to spend much her time once her mission was complete. As far as she knew, she had no place to call home - except a few places that she had in mind, but they did not scream home sweet home to her. Maybe once everything was over and she had her friends by her side, she would return here and introduce herself to the kids that resided on the islands, claim she had come to visit on the main lands and were stopping by to see what was here.

Zaria smiled at that thought as she jumped off the latter, landing on the second platform as quietly as she could. It did not seem like a bad idea so long as no one questioned her origins. She still did not have a complete answer should the question arise.

She took a moment to look at her surroundings, catching sight of one of the kids that resided on the island, a tall, dark-skinned boy clad in yellow attire. She watched as he handled his ball expertly, but paid no mind to him. Since he did not appear to have heard her coming, she did not want to risk having him turn around. After a second of watching, she looked over and began walking toward a set of descending stairs nearby. As much as she would have loved to jump off at the edge, she was certain the noise of her fall would alert him, so it was best to take the long way. She recalled seeing a door on the other side of the island, presuming that it would lead to the area she was planning on searching next and wasted no time in making her way there. Her eyes occasionally darted about in case she spotted anyone, praying that she would not be seen from afar while stepping carefully on each board so as to not produce a loud noise.

It was a mild inconvenience to know that she had to make her mission that much more difficult so as to not be seen by others during her travels, forcing her to go the extra mile to keep herself hidden. It was why she was compelled to wear a hood and keep a backpack with her so that she could protect her oddly colored hair and to keep Dimitri from sight. However, despite how frustrating it may have been, there was a good reason for it. As she remembered from word of mouth, meddling in the affairs of other worlds and its inhabitants was extremely dangerous, as it could inform people of the existence of other worlds and sever the balance of separation. How it would make an impact she would not really know for sure, but she thought it would be best just to avoid interacting with people as a whole. Better to simply arrive, look, and leave before anyone knew she was even here.

After she made her way down the stairs, she leaped off the small platform and onto the floor, moving in the direction of the dock where another inhabitant, a brown haired girl in a yellow dress, was standing and looking out at sea. Inhaling, Zaria continued to push forward and walked in the direction where the boy she just saw still stood. However, before she could move any further, she looked over to spot him, only to see that he was not alone. It was the brown haired boy she saw yesterday, the one that was sitting on the tree with his two friends.

"Damn it," she muttered as she moved back, keeping herself close to the brush in the hopes that he was not seen. She watched from afar as the tall boy pointed in the direction where she just was just at moments again. Her breath caught in her throat. "Did they seem me," she whispered to her.

Just then, her bag began shuffling moments before Dimitri's head poked its way over her shoulder, looking in the same direction. He was silent a moment as he observed intently, but almost immediately looked at her.

"They're not looking at where you just were," he cooed just as the tall boy lowered his arm.

"How can you tell?" She asked, keeping her eyes glue to the two.

Looking back at the two, Dimitri raised a hand to her shoulder and pulled himself out of the bag a bit.

"If he were pointing to where you were, he would be aiming higher," he explained, referring to where the boy was just looking. "Instead, it was just below that. It looked like he was pointing somewhere else."

Before she could make a comment about it, Zaria noticed the brown haired boy make his way toward the direction in which his friend pointed at, instantly disappearing from sight. Blue eyes narrowed as she moved from the brush.

"Odd..." She mumbled. "I don't recall seeing anything last night."

"Perhaps it was dark," Dimitri suggested as he slinked back into the bag. "Maybe you can try looking there when you can."

She hesitated at the thought. As much as she wanted to avoid being spotted, she could not help but wonder what it could have been that the boy was going to. It also annoyed her that she missed it despite looking everywhere last night. With that it mind, she was afraid of being spotted by him. Who knew what kind of trouble that would bring her way?

After a moment, she pursed her lips. It was certainly risky, but her annoyance over missing it outweighed her fears.

"I'm gonna check it out," she whispered, taking a brief moment to make sure the tall boy was no longer looking in the direction his friend walked toward. When she confirmed it, she slowly began walking.

"Are you sure, Miss Zaria?" She heard Dimitri's muffled voice.

"I don't wanna leave any stones unturned," she responded. "It's risky, yes, but it's a risk I'll take."

Without another word, Zaria silently crept passed the boy, watching once more as he handled his ball, before going after his friend. When she turned toward the direction he was pointing, she glanced over the leaves that grew around it, only to find a small opening underneath it all. It was just big enough for anyone to simply crawl in. Her expression changed to one of annoyance, biting the inside of her cheek lightly in the process.

 _I can't believe I missed this_ , she thought as she walked toward the opening. _I blame the plants that covered this_.

With a soft sigh, she walked toward the entrance, unaware of what was ahead.

* * *

Sora stared at the small drawing scribbled on the walls, his eyes staring intently as his mind wandered to the days when he was still young. During his short journey to find mushrooms for the trip, he made his way into the secret cave, a cave that only he and his friends knew about, where he was able to find the last one. Unbeknownst to him until after he picked it up, it was near one of the many cave drawings that stained the walls, a drawing that was, to him, very special. It was an image of two faces, one much appearing to me more well made than the other, of himself and Kairi.

Placing his hand on the drawing of Kairi, he remembered the day they made them. Sitting side by side, scribbling on the walls without a care in the world, he remembered looking at her drawing, a well-made image of himself, while looking at his attempt at creating her. While it certainly was not as artistically impressive as hers, she still admired the work he put into it.

It was upon thinking of those fond memories that he thought about the paopu fruit and its supposed powers. He wondered if sharing the fruit really had those abilities and whether or not he truly wanted to do something like that with her. When he thought about it, he knew for sure that he wanted her to be in his life forever no matter what trials or tribulations came about. His mind, however, questioned how she would react to such an offering. Would she be happy and accept it, or would she find it odd and utterly reject it? How would the others feel about it? Would they laugh? Would they cheer for them?

Upon thinking that, he suddenly glared down at the floor, glancing upon a piece of rock moments before picking it up. Sitting on the floor, he wasted no time in scribbling another image on the wall, scratching away without so much as care as to how long it took to complete. After some time had passed and he had finished his work, he moved the rock away and took a moment to admire the creation. While it certainly was not the best, it was evident the image showed him sharing a paopu fruit with Kairi.

Why should he care about how others felt about his friend? Yes, they were his friends, but he did care about Kairi a lot. So much that sharing a fruit with the ability to intertwine their destinies did not sound like such a bad idea in his mind. It would just go to show how much she meant to him. Maybe he would do it some day. Maybe he would consider it once they came back from their adventures of finding new worlds to explore, or even before then. He did not know for sure when it would happen, but he was certain that doing it was on his list.

As he was thinking about it, he suddenly felt another presence nearby, one that he did not recognize. Without hesitating, he looked over his shoulder as he got to his feet.

"Wh-who's there?" Sora asked as he turned.

Across the way, he saw a mysterious figure with a brown cloak, his face shielded by the hood. He was silent and did not make any attempts at hiding himself from Sora, and he was silent when the boy turned around to catch him. After a moment, however, he spoke.

"I've come to see the door to this world," he said, his voice dark and emotionless with every word that escaped him. It sent a chi

Sora's expression became confused as he uttered out a simple, "Huh?"

"This world has been connected," the stranger explained, leaving Sora even more confused than before.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" He questioned.

"Tied to the darkness," The stranger went on, almost as though he completely ignored the question. "Soon to be completely eclipsed."

His words only frustrated and frightened Sora, but he still glared at the figure.

"Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this." After a moment, a thought crossed his mind. "Huh? Wh-where did you come from?"

"You do not yet know," the stranger responded, "what lies beyond the door."

"So, you're from another world!" Sora exclaimed, a look of surprise appearing on his face. So it was true; there really were other worlds outside of his own.

"There is so very much to learn," said the stranger. It sounded as though he was reminiscing his thoughts more than answering Sora. "You understand so little."

Those words angered Sora a bit.

"Oh, yeah? Well, you'll see!" He spoke with determination. "I'm gonna get out and learn what's out there!"

The stranger was not affected by Sora's words. Instead, he responded in a belittling manner, "A meaningless effort." Sora continued to glare him down at that. "One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

After a moment, Sora looked over toward the mysterious door he was referring to. It was almost as though he heard something from behind it, ready to be released and set free upon the world. It had no effect on him as he quickly looked back to the stranger. Unfortunately, he seemed to have disappeared, leaving no trace of him behind. It was as if he was not there at all, that he was just imagining it.

His gaze fell to his feet, his hand's clenching. _What does he know?_ He wondered. _I know I'll find a way. I'll show him!_

Before another thought crossed his mind, he heard another sound nearby. It resembled the sound of someone slipping on sand. Looking up toward the entrance, Sora's expression immediately changed to one of surprise as he caught sided another hooded figure, only, this time, it was not the same as the stranger he saw before. This appeared to be a female wearing a gray fitted jack over what seemed to be a dark blue v-neck t-shirt. The sleeves were rolled to her elbows, and the zipper was lowered just enough to reveal her shirt. Even from afar, he noted the small silver colored necklace wit ha similarly colored heart on it. On her wrists were a pair of indigo colored wristbands, and she had a single black glove on her right hand. She was also wearing dark gray cargo shorts and black sneakers with white soles. Lastly, it appeared as though she had a small backpack as well, looking as if she was traveling a short distance.

From what he could see, the girl nearly tripped on something but had caught herself on the wall nearby before she could fall, and was now looking down at her feat. Unfortunately, the sound was enough to grab Sora's attention. When he looked over her one last time, he was suddenly reminded of yesterday evening, when he caught sight of a lone figure standing on the island. He took some time before realization crossed his mind, a realization that he did not think would come to fruition: She was the same figure that was standing on the island. She was the one he saw before leaving the island!

Before he could speak up, the girl suddenly looked at him, her face shielded by the hood she was wearing and gasped. From the sound of it, she did not realize she grabbed his attention at her slip up. Without a word, she wasted no time in turning the opposite direction and bolting away. Surprised that she would just run away without speaking to him, Sora quickly chased after her.

"H-hey! Wait!" He called out to her. "Come back!"

It was useless; she refused to listen. He watched her crawl through the entrance with ease and disappear. Yet, he continued to run after her, hoping to catch her before she simply disappeared for good. He made his way through the cave's entrance just before running out, hoping to spot her nearby before running after her again. Unfortunately, he forced himself to stop midway through when he realized that she had completely vanished. Panting, he looked all over to see any signs of where she could have run off to, only to come up with nothing. When he looked down, however, he noticed some footprints running forward before suddenly disappearing into thin air, leaving nothing else in its wake.

Defeated, he sighed and looked ahead once more. _Where did she go?_

"Hey, Sora, you okay?" Sora looked over to see Wakka, a look of confusion on his face. "You look a little out of breath. Did you see something?"

Before he could answer, Sora quickly asked, "You didn't see or hear someone run out of here, did you?"

Wakka blinked.

"Well, I didn't _see_ anyone, but I heard something. But when I turned around, I just saw you standing there." He explained. Sora's shoulders sank just a bit at those words. "Did you actually see somethin', though? In the cave?"

It took a moment for Sora to answer, as he took another moment to glance around in the hopes of catching the mysterious girl, before he said, "I...thought I did. But...I guess I was just imagining it."

"That's a shame, but hey! Maybe Tidus and I will find something when we check it out!" Wakka exclaimed excitedly. "Maybe we'll find what you saw!"

Instead of looking glum, Sora grinned and nodded, feigning agreement so as to avoid the conversation for now. In his head, he could not help but wonder who that girl was and where exactly she came from. He had never seen her around the island before. Was it possible that she was from another world like the strange man? He would have made the assumption that she was with the stranger, but judging from where she stood she may have come by herself. Whatever the case may have been, he would not be able to ask until she was face to face. Whether that time would actually come to pass he truly did not know.

His gaze fell to his feet. _Maybe we will meet someday again. Maybe..._


	4. Night of Fate (Part I)

Riku stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom, gazing into the emptiness while his mind wandered. His hands were folded on his chest, rising and falling in rhythm with his breathing. Despite being nighttime, he felt wide awake. He found it difficult to sleep due to the excitement that had engulfed him all throughout the day, the excitement that had been welling up to the brink of sleeplessness.

As much as he wanted to rest for the night, he was eager to for what tomorrow would bring. It was the big day for him, the day he, Sora, and Kairi set sail in search of new worlds. He knew not getting a lick of sleep would result in being tired the next morning. Kairi had already hammered it into him and Sora that getting a good night's rest was critical, but even with that fact clear in his mind he still could not manage to close his eyes and rest. His eagerness was too much to contain.

After what seemed like an eternity, he sat up in his bed and ran a hand through his hair. A sigh escaped his lips as well, almost as though he was frustrated, as he looked out the window nearby. He looked out toward the island in the distance for a moment, listening to the crashing waves, before looking down at his own feet.

It was at that moment that his mind wandered to the events of last night when he thought someone had followed him home. The memory of the glowing yellow eyes failed to escape his mind despite every attempt at trying to push it away. Who - or what - was it that followed him home? One would have made the assumption that it was just an evil presence, a dark spirit that may have latched on and followed him back, but not did he find the idea silly but it certainly did not feel like one. It felt dark, yes, but not in a way that would bring him harm. As crazy as it may have sounded, that was how he felt. Even the yellow eyes he caught sight of did not seem as menacing as he initially thought. They just appeared to be watching him, waiting for him to do something.

But the question remained: What was it and why was it following him?

When no clear answers came to mind, Riku closed his eyes, once again pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, and reminded himself of what tomorrow would bring.

"To think it's almost time..." He said out loud. Then, he smiled. "Tomorrow, we set sail. Tomorrow, we seek out new worlds."

" **Why wait until tomorrow when you can go today?** "

His body froze upon hearing the unfamiliar voice in his ears, eyes opening instantly. A chill ran down his spine as the room suddenly became colder. The voice heard sounded feminine, but the tone sounded much more dark and sinister.

Hesitating, Riku glanced over in the direction of the sound, only to find himself staring at a familiar pair of yellow eyes, the very same ones from last night. They glowed brightly in the darkness, but he soon came to realize that those eyes were, in fact, attached to what appeared to be a body, a female perhaps. She was completely dark from head to toe, but the facial features were still very present. He noted the razor sharp teeth in her devious looking grin, surprised by how brightly colored they were compared to the rest of the body. Her hair looked as if it were floating in water, moving as though it had a mind of its own, and consistently remained in an upward position. Her torso was small but defined enough for him to realize she may have been female, and her arms had crossed over her chest in a casual manner. Her long black fingers curled to grasp her elbows, appearing long claws more so than normal fingers. The legs were practically non-existent, replaced with a sort of black smoke that did not fill the room around them. Despite that, he could still see that she was standing completely still.

Riku stared at the being in shock, unsure of what to make of it and how to react. It was not long before she started giggling.

" **What's wrong, boy?** " She questioned, the grin never leaving her face. " **Are you afraid of me?** "

"Who are you?" He found the words to speak, his gaze hardening.

Her hand moved so that it was now cupping her face, her gaze appearing to soften as she looked at him.

" **Wouldn't you like to know?** " She responded. Riku did not know what to say at that point, allowing her to continue. " **Think of me as...a friend, if you will.** "

Riku sneered at the thought.

"I don't even know who you are." He retorted, moving so that he could stand up. The motion caused the woman - if he could call her that - to get back. Her hair began to follow suit and almost covered her face while the smoke moved and disappeared from where she once stood. "Why should I bother calling you a friend?"

She giggled again while her hands moved, so they hid behind her back.

" **Well, from where I come from, creatures like me would have wasted no time in killing you.** " She explained nonchalantly, taking note to Riku tensing at her words. " **As for** _ **m**_ ** _e_ , I'm a more...sentient being.**"

"That doesn't answer my question," Riku stated, his face unchanging. She only looked at him as he continued, "Why should I consider you a friend if I don't know you at all?"

She closed her eyes at that as she said, " **Well, for one, because I haven't killed you yet. And the other...** " She opened her eyes again and stared deep into his eyes. " **I can help you and friends go to other worlds...** "

His breathing hitched at those words, eyes widening ever so slightly in surprise. What was she talking about? How could she help him go to other worlds? Unless...

"You're...from another world?" He slowly asked.

She began to laugh heartily, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was indoors and could have easily woke up his parents but quickly silenced herself.

" **I'm glad you caught on, sweetie!** " She exclaimed. Suddenly, just as he blinked, she was right in front of him, causing him to take a small step back and hit the edge of his bed. " **I'm glad you're not as dumb as I initially believed when I set my eyes on you. That makes my job a whole lot easier.** "

He narrowed his eyes again, keeping a cool front, as he questioned, "Why did you come after me? What do you want from me?"

She turned away from him and began floating to a different part of the room.

" _ **I**_ **don't want anything from you.** " She told him, glancing over his room and observing every detail. " **I only want to help you.** " She stopped moving, her hair floating past her briefly before returning to normal. " **I've been watching you for quite some time now, and I've seen the things you've seen.** "

"What do you mean?" He inquired.

She looked at him, a smile grazing her dark lips.

" **So many questions from you. So curious.** "

"I'd like to see if you're actually who you claim to be," he responded, earning a giggle from her.

" **Fair enough.** " She continued to look over his room. " **But to answer your question, I've been by your side for many years, waiting for this opportunity to arise. And now,** " She turned around quickly, arms open as if she were looking to hug him, " **here we are. After all this time, I'm finally able to help you get what you want!** " Riku simply stared at her, his expression unchanged. After a moment, her arms lowered just a bit. " **You don't believe me, do you?** "

"I already have plans to do that," he told her. "Thanks, but no thanks. I think we can manage on our own."

Suddenly, her smiling demeanor changed to a look of annoyance, arms falling to her sides.

" **Oh, please. That rickety little ship of yours wouldn't last a day let alone an entire journey.** " She mocked. He glared at her as she went on, " **In fact, that thing will get you nowhere but lost at sea. You, of all people, should know that.** "

"If it doesn't work, then we'll think of something else." He explained calmly despite being angered by her words. "We have all the time in the world."

She shook her head at that and crossed her arms over her chest.

" **Actually, you don't**..."

His expression changed to confusion.

"What?"

Her smile slowly returned to her lips before she answered, " **The door is opening...Riku...** "

His brows furrowed at that while she began making her way toward him again, his gaze falling to the floor in confusion. The door? What did she mean by that? The only door he had ever seen was the one in the cave, but everyone knew there was no way for it to open. There was no way she was referencing that thing. It had no handle to it, not even a keyhole, to open it and reveal what was inside. It was like it was painted on the wall by a previous resident, created without so much as a message or a reason for existing. It baffled everyone, but they paid no mind to it.

Everyone, except for Riku, at least.

After a long moment, he looked back at her, coming face to face with the being before saying, "I don't understand what you mean..."

" **The door is opening, giving you a way to travel to outside worlds.** " She started to explain. " **Your plans for sailing tomorrow will not come. The darkness has arrived in this world, and unfortunately,** " Her smile slowly faded, " **your world is about to disappear.** "

A look of shock appeared on his face.

"W-what?!"

" **But not to worry, my dear! I can help you and your friends escape an unfortunate fate!** " She exclaimed happily as if she had planned this all along, as she floated toward the window and looked out toward the island. It was at this moment that he turned around as well, only to notice the sky suddenly becoming darker and more eerie than usual. As if a storm was coming. " **If you go with me, you and your friends will be saved. And not only that but you will be able to see these worlds you've only dreamt about.** "

"But...what about the island?"

" **The heart of this world will be consumed by darkness, and your island - your world - will be gone.** " She explained, her voice monotone and unfeeling. It sounded like she did not seem to care about the fate of his world. " **There is nothing that can be done to save it, but as I said, I can help you and your friends leave this world.** " She turned to him slightly. " **But I only have one question...** " Then, she turned to fully look at him, " _ **Are you afraid**_ **?** "

After that, she slowly raised her hand in his direction. He simply watched her for the longest time before looking out at his island once again, the sound of rolling thunder filling his ears.

If what she was saying was true, that his world was about to be destroyed by darkness, he would have been more willing to listen. However, even now that he knows this, he still found it difficult to fully trust her. She was a complete stranger, one that had entered his room without permission and spoke about how she had been watching everything he's done. It sounded an awful lot like some creepy stalker coming up with an unusual story, and it would have been had it not been for her strange appearance. She was not human by any means; she was something else entirely. What it was he did not know, but that was what bothered him the most about her. He would have been more than happy to trust her were it not for the fact that she was from another world. He may have always dreamed of leaving the island for years, but it did not change the fact that he had no idea what people outside of his world were like. Could he really put his trust in a stranger?

He looked away at that point. Even if he found it hard to believe her, she vehemently promised that she would help his friends. A total stranger, whom he knew nothing about, was willing to go out of her way to help his friends as well. She wanted him to see the other worlds. She wanted him to leave the island and explore. Granted, it was at the expense of allowing his world to disappear, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. That said, she was offering an opportunity to be saved _and_ see other worlds, an opportunity of a lifetime. It was his one-way ticket, a one-way ticket out of there and be free from his confinement.

After a long moment of silence, Riku slowly looked back at the woman, his eyes blank and void of emotion. Raising his hand, he took hold of the woman's outstretched hand, grasping it tightly. It was cold to the touch, just as he was expecting it to be. With an offer like that, there was no way he would refuse.

"No...I'm not afraid..." He finally spoke.

Her grin grew at those words moments before she giggled.

" **Good boy...** "

* * *

Sora found it difficult to fall asleep as he stared up at his ceiling, the cold air from his open window seeping in and brushing against him. Even though he was waiting for dinner to be ready downstairs, he would have liked to, at least, take a nap. His hands were behind his head, and his breathing was rather calm. As for his mind, however, it was racing so quickly there was no doubt he would not be able to get any rest before the big day tomorrow.

He felt excited for what was to come, wondering just what kind of worlds they would see once they began their journey. How long it would take was still a mystery to all of them, but for Sora, that stuff did not matter. As long as he was with his friends, he would not mind spending all the time in the world searching, even if they came back empty handed and nothing to show for their long adventure. Nevertheless, the thoughts still excited him, kept him awake long after his body fell against his bed in the hopes of getting any sort of rest for the night.

Though, that was not the only thing he thought that night. While he reminisced about tomorrow's big adventure, he also thought about his conversation with Kairi, who had stayed behind on the island for a while long while Riku went home. It was odd for her to see her sitting at the edge of the dock by herself, as she frequently sat up at the tree with them, but today was a bit different. Not wanting to leave her behind, he decided to sit with her and see what was up. The silence was met between the two for a moment, but it was not long before Kairi spoke.

"You know, Riku has changed." It was an out of the blue statement about their friend, enough for Sora to give a confused look in her direction.

"What do you mean?" He inquired.

"Well..." Kairi started, but her mind seemed to drift as a simple, "Hmm..." sound was made. It was as if she was unsure about her comment. Or at the very least she was unsure of how to word it correctly.

"You okay?" Sora asked, his voice hinting at the fact that he was becoming a bit worried.

Despite her comment, Kairi looked over at him, a sudden burst of happiness on her face.

"Sora, let's take the raft and go," she proclaimed, "just the two of us!"

Sora turned his head to look at her completely, eyes wide and a faint flush of red on his cheeks. His heart began beating a bit faster as well.

"Huh?"

Without missing a beat, Kairi looked back at the sunset, giggling, and said, "Just kidding!"

In moments, Sora could not help but laugh as well, looking back at the ocean, as he said, "What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi."

Kairi's smile fell a bit, but still remained on her face, as she continued to look out at the sunset.

"Maybe..." she mumbled. There was a brief moment of silence before she continued. "You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready!" Her smile grew a bit. "No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here." She looked at Sora, who looked at her as well. "Right?"

Without hesitation, Sora nodded and replied, "Yeah, of course!"

"That's good." They both looked back out at the ocean once again moments before Kairi suddenly said, "Sora, don't ever change."

He looked back at her, mumbling a small, "Huh?" as she got to her feet, standing with her arms behind her back.

"I just can't wait." She said, her mind seemingly expressing how she felt on the inside and disregarding the comment she made once again. Unable to find out what she meant, Sora looked out again as she went on. "Once we set sail, it'll be great."

It was after recalling those memories that Sora found himself glancing up at one of the many hanging objects on his ceiling. They fell upon a ship with two dolls - one boy, one girl - each with their own sewn in smiles on their faces. Looking at it reminded him of the conversation he had with Kairi, most importantly the last thing she had said to him before they went back home.

" _I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great._ "

Yes, it would be great to set sail, but he could not help but wonder what it would have been like if it really was just the two of them.

As he thought this, he turned his head back toward the open window, looking out at the island. However, instead of seeing a calm, cloudless night, he realized that all the stars in the sky had disappeared, replaced by dark clouds. Thunder and lightening struck the island, giving away as to what was about to come.

Sora's brows furrowed.

"A storm?" He mumbled under his breath. After a moment, it clicked in his mind moments before he shot up in his bed, a look of horror on his face. "Oh, no, the raft!"

* * *

"Great. No luck once again," Zaria mumbled, feeling defeated as she walked along the edge of the beach. Her head was hanging low as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Why did I even think they would be here?"

Once everyone had left the island and not a soul was present, Zaria and Dimitri wasted no time in traveling to the other half of the island, making sure to look through every nook and cranny that they could find in the hopes of finding any clues. She was still upset that she missed the small cave yesterday, which lead to her being extra cautious in making sure she did not miss a single thing the second time around. She was determined to do better, and she wasted little time in beginning the search. Unfortunately, however, despite feeling determination running through her, there did not seem to be any clues as to where her friends could have been nor were there any signs that lead in their direction. The only thing they found was a raft, crafted from logs and appearing to be sturdy enough to set sail, but that was about it. After coming to this realization, Zaria started to feel sorry for the kids that came to the island, sad to see all the work they put into building it was all for nothing. With a raft like that, she knew there was no way they would make it out without ending up back here again. It was a fruitless endeavor, one that those kids did not realize. Nevertheless, instead of focusing on them, Zaria went about her business, keeping her mind preoccupied on what she was there for in the first place.

Unluckily, it would not be long before she realized that the people she was looking for were nowhere in sight. She could not find a single clue to figure out where they could have been, leaving Zaria defeated once more.

Her bag had ruffled moments before Dimitri popped out, using her shoulder for leverage.

"I'm sorry, Miss Zaria, but you can't lose hope just yet," he stated, a look of sorrow on his face before he looked out toward the sea.

She glanced up at him as she stopped walking.

"We've been at this for who knows how long, Dimitri." She explained to him, the look of defeat still evident in her eyes. "It's not that I'm losing hope altogether. It's just..." She looked at the sand beneath her feet. "It's just...I'm sick of being wrong about my suspicions. I'm tired of being wrong about the clues we find. I've had enough of being wrong about the possibility of finding them in this new and unfamiliar world just like every other one we've been to in the past." She sighed, sulking her shoulders. "I'm just sick of getting my hopes up for nothing, especially since this place is no different from anywhere else thus far."

"I get the feeling that this place may be a bit different from all the others," Dimitri spoke, looking back at her as she looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" She inquired.

"Do you remember the dream you had the other day?" Dimitri asked. "About that mysterious woman?"

Zaria's brows furrowed in confusion as she questioned, "What about it?"

He placed a hand on his chin, thinking briefly, before he said, "Well, what she said has got me thinking. From she said, she claims that 'fate has brought you to this island,' but she never actually gave an explanation as to what she meant." He looked at her again. "Right?"

Zaria's eyes narrowed at that. It was more in thought than anger or annoyance.

"Yeah, you're right," she agreed. "But...are you trying to say that the woman in the dream wasn't telling me I'd find my friends here?"

"It's entirely possible," he answered with a small shrug. "Maybe the light your Keyblade was drawn to wasn't the light of your friends, but the light of something else on the island. Or rather _someone_."

"Any thoughts as to who or what it could be?" Zaria pressed, glancing around the island for a moment before looking back at him. She thought someone was watching her, but when she saw nothing she simply looked back at Dimitri. Still, the feeling did not go away. "As far as I know, I don't know anyone on this island, so I can't put my finger on who it could be."

Dimitri sighed as he lowered himself so that his head was on her shoulder.

"Unfortunately, I don't know either." He mumbled. Then, his ears perked. "But something tells me that, if that woman was correct, then maybe it's best to stay and find out who or what it may be. Maybe we missed something just as we missed that cave."

Without hesitating, Zaria immediately shook her head as she looked up.

"Thanks, but no thanks." She rejected, her eyes closed and her nose turned upward. It looked as though she had giving an attitude, but in reality, she felt her body go stiff as a chill ran down her spine. The feeling of being watched vanished altogether, but it was soon replaced by a rather strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She said nothing to Dimitri about just yet in the hopes that it was just the wind as she continued, "As much as I'd _love_ to go on a hunt for someone or something I don't know, we have more important things to worry about right now. I'd rather not stay here longer than I have to." She stood there and waited for him to respond to her words, but she was only met with the sound of the breeze slowly picking up with every second that passed. Instead of waiting for a response, she slowly said, "You feel it, too...don't you?"

"I-I-I don't just feel it..." He stammered on his words. "I-I see it...right above us...!"

Confused by his words, her eyes shot open and looked at the sky, her hands slipping out of her pockets within seconds. What she saw made her freeze like a statue and turn pale in a matter of moments. In the sky, there was a massive orb, flashes of lightning and gusts of wind surrounding it, and a red center. The clouds nearby had begun circling the strange shape in the sky slowly but surely, and they appeared as if they were being pulled in by an unknown force that surrounded it. The wind around the two continued to pick up speed, rustling Zaria's clothing and the trees nearby just a bit, as if it were preparing for the anything and everything in its path to be swept away in a moment's time.

It was upon seeing it that Zaria suddenly began having vivid flashbacks. She remembered this; she _knew_ what was happening. This world was about to be consumed.

The distant yet noticeable sounds of screaming civilians found its way into her ears, causing her to grow stiffer as she stood there staring at the massive dark ball in the sky. The memories of people falling and their lives lost abruptly returned to her in a matter of seconds. They were memories that she had desperately tried to push into the back of her mind in the hopes of forgetting the tragedy. At the same time, however, she wanted to keep in touch with them so she would never forget what happened, or rather what could happen. It was a sort of reminder for her to remember what would happen if she did not find what kept the worlds alive: the Keyhole. Even if she was still looking for her friends, she made sure to search for the Keyholes of every world and seal them to keep the darkness from taking over. Unfortunately, this world's time had come too soon, and she had spent way too much time searching for them instead of keeping a look out for the Keyhole.

In other words, Zaria screwed up.

"Miss Zaria? Miss Zaria, snap out of it!" She suddenly heard Dimitri's voice through the waves of madness that flooded in her mind. Upon hearing his voice, she quickly snapped herself back to reality and looked at him, a panicked look in her eyes. "You were starting to worry me. You started breathing fast and panicking!" His face was filled entirely with worry. "Are you okay?"

She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, trying to find the right words to reassure him, before she felt her Keyblade appear in her gloved hand. Before she even had a chance to look at it and ask any questions, it suddenly lurched in the opposite direction of the ocean. It started to glow a faint white as small white particles began hovering around it. The white specks began to circle the blade as well, slowly orbiting as if they were planets around the sun. Zaria stared at the blade in confusion, several questions floating into her mind, before looking in the direction it was pointing. When she did, she spotted a figure slowly making their way toward what appeared to be the cave entrance. Despite the darkness surrounding them, Zaria was able to distinguish the red locks of the girl who sat on the tree with her two friends. She appeared to be moving toward the cave in a slow, yet fluid motion, as though the world around her ceased to exist. Zaria was surprised that the girl did not see her standing on the island since the docks were not that far in front of her. As she thought that, she watched as the girl disappeared from Zaria's sight. Just as soon as she did, the Keyblade slowly stopped glowing and allowed itself to fall at her side once more. Zaria was left speechless as she stared at her weapon for a moment longer before looking back in the direction of the cave where the girl entered.

"Did...did it just..." Dimitri murmured, his voice utterly shocked at the sight he witnessed alongside Zaria.

That was when it clicked in her head, and she remembered the words the mysterious woman spoke to her about:

" _To put it simply, that Keyblade was drawn to the light that resides on the island. It is attracted to the light that lives in all worlds. The island, however, has someone whose light has enough strength to be noticed from far away._ "

It did not take long for her to piece two and two together, coming up with the solution.

"Dimitri..." She suddenly spoke. Before he could respond, she continued. "It's that girl! That girl has a light that my Keyblade is drawn to!"

"I can't believe the woman was right..." Dimitri slowly spoke. "To be honest, I was beginning to second guess myself because it was just a dream, but..."

With a newfound sense of determination, Zaria turned in the direction of the cave, pulling her hood forward just a bit.

"Well, I guess there's only one thing to do," she stated as her weapon disappeared. "We go after her and get answers."

Without waiting for Dimitri to say another word to her, Zaria began sprinting in the direction the girl had disappeared into, nearly tripping over herself in the sand in the process. Dimitri, realizing that she was hellbent on getting answers, had hidden away in her bag once more, possibly to keep himself from view. Regardless, she wasted no time climbing the wooden boards leading up to the secret entrance, hoping that the answers would lead her into the right direction.

She had a gut feeling that there was something mysterious about the door in that cave, but it was something she could not put her finger on entirely. She would have liked to go back into that cave during the day, but she chose to avoid going there due to the near encounter with that boy. She was worried that she would have a lot of explaining to do as well as being afraid someone would return - which did happen later on not to her surprise. She was fortunate to have become agile over the years since she had begun her search, using the base of the tree to give her leverage to leap onto the platform above and hide from the boys. That was mere moments before she was caught and laid there until she was sure she was out of sight. Her only regret was not being able to explore out of fear...as well as nearly crushing poor Dimitri during her escape.

Moments before she reached the entrance of the cave, Zaria suddenly slid to a halt. Panting, she stared at what she knew was the entrance, only instead of an opening just like before, she found herself staring at a mysterious door. It was completely white and looked as if it belonged on the front entrance to an extremely fancy home. She was certain that it was not here before, and she had no idea as to where it could have come from. Baffled, she tried to open it, but it would not budge.

"What the heck is this?" She questioned in a frustrated tone, stepping back a bit and glaring at it. "Why is this door here, and why is it locked?"

Dimitri poked his head out of the back and looked at the door curiously.

"How out of place..." He marveled before looking up at her. "But if it's locked, do you think you're Keyblade will open it?"

After a moment of silence and contemplating, she summoned her weapon once more, holding it in front of her.

"There's only one way to find out," she responded as she slowly pointed it toward the door. As she did that, the blade began glowing just as it did before. When she was about to tell herself it was working, it suddenly jerked her around and pointed in the opposite direction. "Gah!" She shouted as it nearly threw her off balance. When it remained stagnant, she composed herself and glared at the weapon. "Are you trying to tear my arm off or something? Make up your mind!"

"Miss Zaria, look!" Dimitri exclaimed, climbing onto her shoulder and pointing forward. "On the beach!"

She followed the blade and looked in its direction. Upon seeing where the blade was pointing, her jaw immediately dropped, and her eyes widen in astonishment. In the near distance, her eyes caught sight of the same brown haired boy she nearly encountered that morning, running toward the shack with nothing but a wooden sword in hand. As he was running, Zaria's Keyblade slowly moved along with him, following him until he disappeared from their sight. That, in turn, caused the blade to stop glowing and fall back to Zaria's side once again. She was utterly confused at what she had just witnessed and stared at where she last saw him before looking over her shoulder to look at the door.

"But...I thought it was..." She attempted to form a coherent sentence as she looked between the door and the shack, but she was too baffled by what had happened to do just that. "It was...pointing this way...but...why is it..."

"I-I wouldn't question it now," Dimitri started, his voice shaking with fear, just as Zaria looked at the door once again. "Look!"

She looked at him and realized he was still looking toward the beach. Wasting little time, she quickly turned back around to see where he was looking. To her horror, she spotted three small, dark looking creatures running along the beach in the same direction that the boy had run toward, their little yellow eyes glowing amidst the darkness around them. A glare soon formed in her eyes as the grip on her blade tightened.

"Heartless...Shadows, no less..." She growled. "I knew it wouldn't be long before they got here." She looked at Dimitri. "Hide. This is gonna get ugly."

He was already halfway inside the back as he uttered, "I'm already ahead of you."

When he was out of sight, Zaria looked ahead once more and sprinted toward the beach, her Keyblade at her side and ready to fight. Instead of using the boards to run down, she simply leaped off each edge so that she could reach them faster. The moment her feet hit the sand, the Shadows suddenly looked in her direction, their attention averted from the boy, before running toward her. Without missing a beat, Zaria swung her blade forward and cut through the closest one, destroying it with ease as the others sank into the ground. She waited for them to surface again, watching as they scurried under her feet, before turning around and swinging her weapon again just as they appeared from the ground. Before they had a chance to move, the blade cut through them with ease, killing them instantly.

Instead of taking a break to catch her breath, she looked toward the shack. In moments, she caught sight of the boy out of the corner of her eye running along the bridge toward the smaller island. When she noticed him, she looked ahead to see where he could have been going, only to spot his silver haired friend standing in the center. Only he was not alone as she was expecting. A look of horror crossed her face as she spotted the very same dark figure from yesterday standing in front of him just moments before disappearing into nothing.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." She grimaced as more Shadows appeared from the ground and moved in to attack her. She quickly destroyed them with ease before looking toward the shack. "They're gonna get themselves killed like this." She shouted to herself as she began sprinting toward the shack, ignoring the enemies that continued to appear from the ground and chase after her.

There was no way she was going to allow anyone else to lose their lives to the darkness. Not again.


	5. Night of Fate (Part II)

"Where's Kairi?" Sora shouted as he got off the bridge, looking toward Riku's unmoving form. "I thought she was with you!"

Sora was unprepared for what was happening going on to his island when he made the sudden decision to sail over, leaving his home without saying a word to his mother about where he was going, in an attempt to keep the raft safe until tomorrow. He believed that a storm was about to sweep through and possibly destroy everything they worked hard on, and he was certainly not going to let that happen. As much as he would have loved to tell his mom where he was going, but he was expecting to return as soon as possible. Unbeknownst to him, he did not realize what was happening until he arrived. When he arrived, he found Riku's and Kairi's boats there as well, probably for the same reason he was there. What he found, however, was a massive orb hovering in the sky, and strange dark creatures appearing on the ground. To his horror and astonishment, he realized they were the very same monsters that were in his dream just the other day. No longer were they just a fantasy in his mind, but they were now real and more than capable of hurting him. In an attempt to defend himself, he found his wooden sword and tried to attack them, but it did nothing to deter them. They remained standing and ready to fight. In a panic, he began running toward the shack, avoiding the creatures that continued to form around him. As he was running, Sora glanced toward the small island he and his friends would go to every day, only to find the familiar form of Riku standing there at the center. He appeared unfazed by the commotion that was happening around him, and not a single monster had appeared around him. Nevertheless, Sora did not waste any time and began running to the shack leading to the bridge, bursting through the door and slamming it behind him. Knowing that the sword was useless at that point, Sora simply tossed it to the side and ran up the stairs, opened the door, and ran across the bridge toward his friend.

Unfortunately for him, despite finding Riku within minutes, Kairi was nowhere in sight. Sora had hoped to get some answers, but he was met with something else entirely.

Riku did not react to Sora's presence despite hearing the familiar voice of his best friend. It was almost as if he were in some sort of trance, but after a second of silence, he slowly began to speak.

"The door has opened..." He spoke, his voice monotone and emotionless.

Sora was confused by that, his only response being, "What?"

It was then that Riku turned around to look at him. It was evident in his eyes that he was not himself. That, or he knew exactly what he was talking about and just put on a front to appear otherwise.

"The door has opened, Sora!" He explained as he faced him. "Now, we can go to the outside world!"

"What are you talking about?" Sora argued quickly. "We've gotta find Kairi!"

"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku retorted, leaving Sora taken aback by the sudden outburst. Before he could say anything else, Riku went on as he looked up at the sky. "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back." He paused briefly. "But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us!" After a second, he proclaimed, "I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

It was after that moment that Riku looked back at his best friend, who stared at him with nothing but worry and concern. Sora did not understand what he meant by all that, as he was more concerned with Riku's state of mind, but he did not have time ask any further questions. Riku, then, outstretched his hand toward him, keeping his gaze fixated on Sora. It was a silent gesture, but one that Sora understood completely: Riku was asking him to join him, accompany him to other worlds just as they had planned to do all these years. As much as the idea excited him, unfortunately, Sora did not seem as enthusiastic as Riku was about leaving his world.

No matter how hard he tried, just hearing Riku speak in ways he never heard him speak had him back peddling. Not because he did not want to see other worlds, but because the way Riku was acting. It worried Sora. The look in his eyes told him that he was speaking to someone else, not the Riku he had grown up with. To put it simply, Sora was too afraid to go with someone like him, even if the person in question was his best friend. He wanted to see other worlds. He wanted to travel with his friends to see new and unfamiliar places, just as they had talked about all this time. He wanted to do it all; just not like this.

"Riku..." Sora muttered in response, unsure of what else to say or what to think.

Before he had the opportunity to say anything else, though, darkness suddenly appeared around Riku's feet, wrapping around and engulfing him as though it were trying to pull him in. It was almost the same as Sora's dream, and he knew for certain he was not going to allow his friend to follow this path. He wasted no time in running toward his friend, only to be stopped by the darkness as well, keeping him away from Riku but at the same time pulling him in as well. In a desperate attempt to try and reach his friend, Sora tried to reach out to Riku, hoping to grab a hold of him to pull him out of the darkness. No matter how much he stretched, he could not reach Riku's hand, and Riku made no attempts to reach out to him any further than where he was. Little did Sora realize, or even notice for that matter, that a dark figure stood behind Riku, holding onto him as if it were making sure he did not move a muscle toward him. Unfortunately for Sora, it was no use. He was just too far away to reach him, and the darkness began to swallow the both of them.

However, as if by some miracle, a bright light shined with the darkness, growing brighter and brighter with every second. Before Sora could realize what was happening, the darkness dissipated and he found himself on the island once again. He looked around for a moment, hoping to find Riku standing in front of him, but instead he was all alone. Before he had the chance to wonder what was going on, he felt something in his hand. When he looked down, he caught sight of a mysterious key-shaped weapon of sorts. The hilt was colored a simple yellow, stuck to the blade with a blue colored attachment, while the rest of the blade - teeth included, which appeared to have been indented with a crown shape - was a dull gray color. He looked over a few times, unsure as to what it could possibly be before an unknown voice began to speak in his head.

 _Keyblade_...

 _Keyblade_...

It was an unfamiliar, almost distant voice that sounded in his head, but it was easy for him to make out the words. It was not hard to realize that it was describing the weapon in his hand. He had a feeling that he could use it, the "Keyblade," to defend himself.

Just as he thought that, several dark creatures began to appear around him, ready to attack at a moment's notice and blocking his escape. He looked over the ones that stood in front of him and was about to prepare himself for a fight when all of sudden the sound of an enemy being destroyed was heard from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see what was happening but was only able to see the creatures being killed one by one in one seemingly fluid motion. Looking ahead, he noticed one of the creatures running toward him, and he wasted no time in quickly finishing off the last of the enemies - not as fast as the others were, but it was quick enough. All that training with Riku was starting to pay off, he could not help but notice.

Just as the last ones were destroyed, it immediately became quiet. For Sora, however, he took the opportunity to turn around and see what, or who could have possibly helped him on such short notice. To his surprise, he realized that the person who helped him was the same girl he saw in the cave that day, the one who ran off and disappeared before he had the opportunity to catch her. She had just finished off the last creature herself, and it was seconds before she quickly turned around to look at him. Her face was still shrouded in darkness, so he was incapable of seeing what she looked like. In her hand was a similar looking weapon to his, only hers was a bit more complex than his own. Hers appeared to have wings on the hilt with a sun-shaped key chain as well. The blade itself shifted from black with white dots - Stars, perhaps? - and a purple colored ribbon design on the hilt, to white with the purple changing to blue as it moved up the blade, where he could see a heart shape at the top and a half sun shape as the teeth. Both the teeth and the sun keychain were colored orange.

Before he could ask any questions about her or what was going on, she quickly spoke up.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she began walking toward him at a fast pace.

It took a moment for Sora to answer, still a bit aloof from what was happening, before he responded, "Uh, yeah, I'm okay! But...who are-"

Her free hand suddenly fell upon his shoulder as she stopped in front of him. She kept herself at arm's length from him.

"As much as I'd love to explain what's going on," she quickly interrupted him, "there's no time for that." She looked over to where Riku once stood. "Your world is about to be consumed by darkness. And judging from what I saw from afar, your friend has just been taken by it." Her head seemed to lower a bit. "I wish I had an answer as to where he could have gone so that you could look for him, but I don't."

She looked at Sora's confused expression which soon turned to worry.

"Riku..." He mumbled.

Instead of sympathizing, she only tightened her grip on his shoulder, making him look back at her. "But we may be able to save your other friend. That red haired girl that you hang around with." It took seconds for Sora to realize what she was talking about, eyes lighting up before he nodded. It was evident that this mysterious girl was someone that could help him, and he did not hesitate in putting his trust in her. When she saw that, she released his shoulder, turned around, and pointed. "That cave over there is where I saw her go into. It's blocked off by a peculiar door, but there's no doubt I can open it with this." She shifted her Keyblade a bit so that he knew what she was talking about, but did not say a word as she quickly looked at him. "We don't have much time to lose before this world is destroyed, so just stay behind me and I'll lead the way through these things. Got it?"

Sora nodded in agreement but was able to find his voice.

"Alright, but..." He began, "...but who are you? And how do you know all this?"

The girl looked at him for a long moment before looking toward the bridge. When he followed her gaze, he noticed more of those monsters appearing.

"Let's just say..." The girl started to respond, while he looked back at her as she pulled her hood further over her head, "Let's just say...that you're better off knowing as little about me as possible." Before he had the chance to question what she meant, she was already running toward the bridge. "Let's go!"

Not wanting to fall behind, Sora followed suit and chased after her, only this time he kept up with her. From behind, he watched as the girl sliced through the monsters with ease, not missing a single beat as they fell one by one to her Keyblade. Anything that appeared behind her was destroyed by Sora, not wanting to leave any stragglers that may have been left behind. Before they could reach the other side, the girl suddenly stopped in the middle, followed by Sora, who stopped right next to her. He looked ahead to see a lot more monsters appearing in front of the door to the shack, blocking the way for them to pass. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw even more of them coming from behind, surrounding both ways and keeping them on the bridge.

"Shoot..." The girl hissed. He looked at her as she went on. "I'll take care of these guys. When I finish, you run through and go to your friend."

"But what about you?" He asked in a worried tone. "There's way too many."

"Trust me, kid," she stated without looking at him, earning a small glare at the name she referred to him. "I can handle this on my own. What _you_ need to worry about is helping your friend while you still have time."

Sora, despite being annoyed at being called "kid," was not satisfied with that kind response. He was not just gonna leave her by herself to fight them regardless if she was experienced as she looked or a rookie like himself. It was much too dangerous, and who knew how much more would pop while he was away. Unbeknownst to her, he glanced over at the edge of the bridge, only before a sudden idea appeared in his head. After a moment, he looked back at her moments before placing a hand on her shoulder and turning her so that she was looking at him. Before she had the chance to speak, he spoke.

"I've got a better idea!" He exclaimed.

The girl, despite under the cover of darkness, looked at him with confusion.

"And that is?" She questioned. Instead of answering, she suddenly found herself being tossed onto Sora's shoulder moments before began running toward the edge. "Gah! What are you doing?!"

"Getting us out of here!" He responded just seconds before he leaped over the edge and plummeted down to the ground. Out of fear, the girl grasped onto him as tightly as possible, letting out a yelp when she realized what he was doing. It was a short jump for him, one that he knew he would survive, and he was fortunate to land in the shallow water down below. For her, however, he could imagine what she thought when she immediately began to struggle.

"PUT ME DOWN!" She shouted frantically, to which he immediately did. The second her feet hit the sand, she took several steps away before exclaiming, "Are you insane?! Why the hell did you do that?! I told you I could handle them!"

"I'm not gonna leave someone I trust behind," he told her, his tone serious and unfazed by her shouting. He took note of the fact that her arms were visibly shaking at that point, and he could feel her angered eyes drilling him. Apparently, she was not a fan of falling from heights.

She stared at him in silence for the longest time. He could almost feel like she thought he had lost it.

"Why would you _ever_ put your trust in a stranger?" She questioned. "You don't even know me!"

"That doesn't mean I can't trust you," he explained as he approached her. The words left her speechless. When he was close enough, he put his own hand on her shoulder and smiled. "You're helping me find my friend. That's more than enough of a reason to trust you." She continued to stare at him, only, this time, he knew she was surprised by his words. Before she could say anything to him, he looked over to find more creatures appearing on the beach. Gripping his Keyblade, he prepared himself for another fight. "Let's go!"

"Wait! I'll take care of them!" She exclaimed, stepping in front of him while wielding her weapon. "You go on ahead!"

"Again?!" Sora responded.

She looked over her shoulder at him.

"If you trust me as much as you claim," she explained, "then you should trust that I'll keep you safe. I'll give you time to find your friend and keep these things away from you." She looked forward. "When you're finished, I'll do what I can to help get you out of here. Just hold onto that trust and go!"

He stared at her for a long moment, hesitating to move, before she ran forward and began attacking the monsters, slicing through them one by one as if they were nothing. When he saw an opening, he wasted no time and started running forward, passing her along the way as she destroyed another creature, and made his way to the secret entrance to the cave. More and more monsters continued to appear behind him, but he focused on finding Kairi in the hopes of making sure she was safe from harm. Still, he could not help but glance over his shoulder to make sure that girl was okay.

As much as he did not want to leave her behind to fend off those creatures for the second time, seeing her wipe out a lesser amount of them was a bit easier on his mind than what they encountered prior. Not to mention that she appeared to be slightly more experienced than he was in fighting them, even if their weapons were still the same and he had fought a few of them before. Still, she was right. Even though she was a total stranger to him, he was starting to trust her enough to believe she would protect him and Kairi. He could trust her enough to know that she may have been able to get them off the island safely, and she could take them to another world despite their previous plans of sailing being ruined. Despite looking over his shoulder once more, seeing her fend for herself without struggle made him feel better. Not by much, but enough to look back ahead and keep moving.

In record time, he reached the entrance of the cave, only to see that the girl was right when she mentioned a door blocking the entrance. It was then that he remember her saying that she would open it for him with her Keyblade. Before he had the chance to turn around and grab her attention, the door suddenly began to open up, revealing the familiar sight of the cave entrance to him. He stared in surprise, wondering how it opened all on its own. That was before he looked at his own Keyblade and began to wonder. Were the Keyblades he and that girl possessed capable of doing the same thing?

Before he could think about it any further, he watched as the strange weapon disappeared from his hand in a flurry of light, leaving him empty handed once again. Not wanting to waste any more time than he had already, Sora quickly entered the cave and began running once again. It did not take long for him to reach the inside, but when he did, he found the familiar figure of Kairi standing in front of the unfamiliar door. She was just as motionless as Riku was before he disappeared.

"Kairi!" He called to her, relieved to see she was okay, and she was free from harm. At least, that was what he thought upon first glance. It did not take long for her to turn and face Sora, but the look in her eyes clearly showed that something was wrong. She looked pale and weak, turning slowly as if the motion was too much for her.

"Sora..." She slowly muttered.

Sora was shocked at the sight, speechless, as he watched her slowly try to reach out to him. As she did that, however, the door behind her suddenly flew open, and a powerful gust of wind shot out. Darkness seeped out from it, and it was hard enough to push Kairi forward and toward Sora. Despite nearly losing balance, Sora opened his arms outward to catch her, but the moment before he held onto her, she suddenly vanished into nothing, leaving him alone in the empty cave. Before he had the chance to react, the wind from the door knocked him off his feet and launched him out of the cave.

It did not take long for him to end up landing on the sand of the beach with his stomach. He was dazed from the hard landing but wasted no time in moving so that he could look up. Instead of looking out at the ocean, however, he stared out into a void of darkness. The ocean he had grown up with ceased to exist. Debris, plant life, and even landmasses swirled through the air, flying around the mass in the sky, which was now even closer than ever before. The island that was once his home was now gone, leaving nothing but the single land mass that he lied on as a sort of memorial.

"Get up!" Sora looked up to find the hooded girl standing next to him, her weapon remaining in her gloved hand while her free hand held onto her hood due to the wind. "We've got company!"

He did not ask questions as he got to his feet and turned around, only find himself looking up at massive, muscular looking monster, entirely different from the smaller ones he saw before. This one appeared to be a bit more human despite being far from it. Its legs were rather short despite its massive size, and its feet were thin and seemed to curl upward. Its arms, however, were very long, almost the full length of its body. He could clearly see two small, twisted wings on its back and a large, heart shaped opening on its abdomen. Its face was covered, save for its piercing yellow eyes, by long, twisted black tentacles.

It did not take long for Sora to recognize what it was. Like the small creatures, the large monster had also appeared in his dreams, having been created from his own shadow.

"This...this thing is..." He tried to speak, but could not find the words.

"It's called a Darkside," the girl spoke calmly, unfazed by the monster before her. Sora looked at her for a moment before looking back as she went on, "These things are far more dangerous than the little guys. By a longshot. I suggest stepping back and-" Before she could finish, Sora was able to summon his Keyblade again and get into his fighting stance. The girl looked over at him with a surprised look. "What are you-"

"I fought one of these guys before," he explained to her. "I had a dream the other day, and this thing was there. I was able to defeat it, too. I know to fight this guy, and I'm not gonna sit back and let you fight this guy alone."

"There's a huge difference between a dream and reality, you know," she told him nonchalantly.

"That's not gonna stop me from lending you a hand," he told her, looking at her and smiling.

Without saying another word, the two began running toward the Darkside as it started firing dark homing missiles at them. They wasted no time in splitting up and avoiding the missiles for as long as possible, which did not last as the firing ended as soon as they started. By the time the Darkside had returned to its feet, Sora was on one end of the land mass, while the girl was on the other. Neither had broken a sweat as the creature gathered energy in its hand before pulling back his arm. In moments, the Darkside slammed its fist into the ground, causing a mild shock wave around them, and created a pool of darkness where his fist landed. Within moments, the same small creatures began to appear within the center and started moving toward the two. Sora did not waste time destroying the monsters that approached him, killing at least two at a time. After a short period, he looked over to find that the girl began sprinting toward the dark pool, killing her own number of monsters, moments before leaping and climbing onto the Darkside's hand.

"Just keep fighting!" She shouted at him as she slowly began making her way up his arm. She did not have to look at him to know he was watching. "If you remember fighting this, then you know how to kill this thing just as I do! Just keep fighting off the Shadows, and I'll handle this guy!"

Before he could get another word, the Darkside reeled its hand back, bringing the girl along with him, and allowed the dark pool to disappear. The girl quickly stabbed her Keyblade into its elbow and held on for dear life as it stood straight once more. There was still quite a few monsters - or Shadows, as the girl seemed to refer to them as - around the area where its hand once was, so Sora still had to continue fighting. Suddenly, the Darkside moved so that its arm - the same one she resided on - was on the ground once again, while the other arm had risen above its body. When he looked back after destroying more Shadows, he had just caught sight of the monster slamming his hand into the ground, only this time his whole arm had gone through the floor. Despite that, it looked as though there was no damage at all. Sora was shocked; he was not expecting it do that.

"GO FOR ITS HEAD!" He looked up to see the girl climbing up onto its bent arm, removing her blade from the monster. "Stop gawking and go for its head!"

Sora looked at the monster's head for a moment before sprinting toward it, ignoring the few Shadows that tried to attack him. Unfortunately, he would not have the time to reach it as it slowly began to reel backward, bringing along with it what appeared to be an orb of darkness. He slid to a halt as briefly watched it hold onto the ball for a long moment before shooting up into the sky. It instantly dissipated into small orbs and began raining from the heavens.

"Avoid the orbs!" The girl called out to him as she struggled to remain on its shoulder, using her Keyblade to stab into it and hold on. "They'll hurt you if you come into contact with them!"

Acknowledging her advice, he went back to destroying the Shadows, while she made her way to the top of its head, using the tentacles as leverage to pull herself up or to keep herself from falling. After cutting through what appeared to be the last of the Shadows, Sora looked back up at the Darkside, who was about to perform one of its previous attacks, just as the girl reached the top of its head. Before he could react, he watched as the girl raised her weapon above her, leaped off its head, and slashed down the center of its face. While it was effective, it did not seem to do much to the monster. It did, however, stop it from attacking any further, and it only returned to its feet once again.

It took Sora a moment before he realized that she was now falling from such a height, and he instinctively sprinted toward the Darkside. Just as she was about to reach the ground, he leaped forward, catching her with ease, before landing on the ground, sliding forward a few feet in the process.

"Geez, are you okay?" Sora quickly asked as he sat up. The girl slowly followed suit, her arms once again visibly shaking.

"Y-yeah, I'll be fine." She responded as a hand fell on the front of her hood once again, adjusting it so that it was covering her face more. "I just don't like the feeling of falling that far and that fast. That's all."

Before he could say anything else, the wind around them suddenly began to pick up, becoming stronger and stronger. The Darkside, despite taking a shot to the head, still remained standing, but instead of attacking again, it slowly started to be lifted off the ground. Sora watched in both awe and shock as it was lifted up into the sky. It was not long before he could feel himself being lifted off his feet as well. They were about to be pulled in! Panicking, he and the girl got to their feet and ran to the nearby pile of debris, grabbing onto it just moments before their feet began lifting off the ground as they were pulled toward the orb. The girl was able to find a piece of wood lodged into the ground and dug her feet underneath it to keep herself from flying away. As for Sora, he was holding on for dear life, but could feel his hand slipping with every passing second.

"Kid, I need you to listen to me!" The girl shouted over the howling wind, holding onto the debris while also holding onto her hood. He looked at her as she went on. "Your world is a lost cause. There's nothing you nor I could do to save it!" She looked up at the orb. "But I can assure you that where you'll end up is a safe place to be. It's where all people who have lost their worlds go!"

Sora, after hearing that, reached out his free hand toward her.

"Then grab my hand!" He told her. "We'll go there together!"

The girl continued to look at the orb for a long moment before looking at him.

"Together?" She questioned. He did not have time to respond as she shook her head, releasing the debris and summoning her Keyblade again. "Sorry, kid, but as much as I'd want to help you, you'll have to go alone." She looked at the sky once again. "I'm heading somewhere else. Hopefully, it's a place that has more time to be saved than this one."

He gave her a confused look, but before he could say another word, the girl moved her feet from underneath the wooden board and shot up toward the orb, leaving him behind. It was just a few moments later that his grip on the wood slipped, causing him to be sucked into the orb along with the other flying debris.

The last thing he remembered seeing was the last bit of land being broken apart piece by piece before blacking out.


	6. Traverse Town

A sudden feeling formed in the pit of Goofy's stomach as he suddenly found himself looking up at the sky, looking over every spec that was a star. Something in the back of his mind that something was wrong, and he could not help but look up at the night sky. To his surprise, his gaze landing upon what appeared to be the brightest star in the sky, but after closer inspection, one could easily tell that the star he set his eyes on was also flickering. Donald, confused by the fact that his friend had stopped walking all of a sudden, turned around to question him, only to find him pointing upward. The duck wasted no time in searching for what he was looking at, only to find that same flickering star glowing in the sky. To any other person, it just appeared as though the star had reached the end of its lifespan. For Goofy, however, he knew better than to make that assumption. That star was no ordinary star, but rather an entire world filled with strange new people and unknown environments.

Unfortunately, judging from the way it flashed in the sky, they both knew exactly what it meant.

"Look, a star's goin' out!" Goofy exclaimed as Donald continued to look at it in awe and surprise. Just as he said those words, that very same star - the world - disappeared from the sky. It was as if it suddenly vanished from existence right before their eyes. After that, the two looked at one another, a worried look on Goofy's face while Donald remained calm.

"Come on," Donald finally spoke, turning his gaze to Goofy returned his gaze, "Let's hurry."

With a nod of agreement from Goofy, the two continued their way through the streets and focused on their mission once more.

It felt like days had gone by since Donald and Goofy, with their faithful dog Pluto by their side, had departed from their home world of Disney Castle to begin their quest to find a "key" along with searching for their missing king, Mickey Mouse. The unexpected news of King Mickey's disappearance was discovered by the royal magician Donald Duck, who was on his way to check on him and wish him a good morning just as he had done every other day. However, that day had made an unexpected turn for the worst, as the King was nowhere to be found. Instead, Donald caught sight of no one but the King's faithful dog Pluto in the room, holding a letter from the King himself in his mouth. He recalled reading through the letter carefully before panicking, realizing what had happened and what was going on, and running out of the room to hunt down the royal knight Goofy. Needless to say, he was sleeping in the royal gardens. Despite his attempts at waking him up by ordinary means, Donald was forced - or rather had no patience to shake him away - to use his own magic to shock him awake, which did the trick while seeming to have little to no effect on the sleeping knight.

"Hey there, Donald." He smiled at Donald after sitting up and looking around. "G'morning."

"We've got a problem, Goofy!" Donald quickly spoke. He looked around a moment before speaking in a small voice. "But don't tell anyone..."

Goofy, who was wide awake, appeared to have been looking at Donald with a look of surprise. Little did Donald realize it was not the case.

"Queen Minnie?" Goofy questioned.

"Not even the Queen!" Donald proclaimed, placing his hands on his hips and turning up his beak.

Goofy tilted his head to the side before he went on, "Daisy?"

"No," the duck shook his head furiously before leaning in, "it's top secret!"

Instead of responding to Donald, Goofy gave a small bow and simply said, "G'morning, ladies."

Hearing him say that made Donald tense up moments before looking over his own shoulder, spotting the women as mentioned earlier standing at a distance. No doubt they had just heard everything he said, as Daisy had given him a stern look while Queen Minnie simply appeared to be concerned. All Donald could do at that point was laugh sheepishly, knowing that there was no way to wiggle his way out of it.

It was not until later when Donald was forced to hand over the letter Mickey had left for him over to the Queen, who read it out loud for everyone to hear:

 _Donald,_

 _Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye, but there's big trouble brewin' . Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. And that means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all, but I've gotta go check it out._

 _There's someone with a "key" - the key to our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find him and stick with him. Got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Leon. He'll point you in the right direction._

 _P.S. Would ya apologize to Minnie for me?_

 _Thanks, pal._

"Oh, dear!" Daisy gasped, a look of worry crossing her face as she looked to the Queen, who had turned away from the group. "What could this mean?"

Minnie, with her hands folded in front of her and despite her own look of concern, took a moment before she said, "It means...we'll just have to trust the king."

"Gawrsh," Goofy mumbled, more to himself than to anyone else, as a hand fell to his chin, "I sure hope he's all right."

Donald, without hesitation, spoke up to Queen Minnie, "Your Highness. Don't worry. We'll find the king and this 'key.'"

Minnie turned to him, a smile forming, as Daisy approached her moments before looking at Donald and Goofy as well.

"Thank you," the Queen said, "both of you. "

Donald, then, looked at Daisy.

"Daisy, can you take care of-"

"Of course," she interrupted, smiling. "You be careful now, both of you."

"Oh," Minnie started, a thought coming to mind, "and to chronicle your travels," she gestured toward the nearby desk, "he will accompany you."

The magician looked toward the desk to see who she was referring to, but no one was there. It appeared to be an empty desk with nothing but papers. When he got a closer look, however, he was able to spot a small form hoping up and down on the desk, waving his arms with every jump. He appeared to be a little cricket with olive skin, thin black eyebrows and wearing a pair of white gloves. His attire was very formal, sporting a royal blue top hat with an orange band, a red vest with a pink button as well as a yellow ascot, black blazer, and a high-collared white shirt. Lastly, he wore tan pants with yellow shoes with black tips.

"Over here!" He called out, grabbing Donald's attention before he spoke again. "Cricket's the name," He removed his hat and bowed, "Jiminy Cricket at your service!"

"We hope for your safe return," Queen Minnie went on. "Please help the king."

The memories still played back in Donald's mind, every moment that took place still fresh as if it only just happened a few minutes ago. He knew they would find the King along with that mysterious "key" that he mentioned in the letter. How long it would take, however, was still a mystery to them all.

"Where's that key...?" Donald questioned out loud, crossing his arms as he looked forward with a stern gaze.

"Hey, ya know," Goofy chimed in as Pluto began sniffing around, "maybe we ought to go find Leon."

It was a suggestion that Donald was reminded of once more. That's right ; the King had specifically requested that the two search for a man named Leon, who resided in an outside world called Traverse Town. This world was a place where all people came to when their worlds were lost, or so that was what Donald read. Leon was the answer to figuring out where to head to next on their mission, and the letter was their only clue at the moment as to where to go first. That being said, they immediately made their way to this brand new world, hoping to find the answers they desperately needed.

As the three were walking up the stairs, Pluto started making his way to the back alleyway, sniffing around for any clues. Goofy stopped walking when he realized where their dog was going but noticed Donald going in the opposite direction. Maybe Pluto had picked up on something, but Donald had yet to realize it.

"Uh, Donald?" Goofy called out to him, pointing in Pluto's direction. "Ya know, I betcha that-"

"Ah, what do you know, you big palooka?" Donald had interrupted before he continued walking.

Goofy looked back in Pluto's direction before he said, "What do I know?" After a brief moment of thinking, he decided it was best to follow Donald. After all, he knew where to look in the first place, right? "Come on, Pluto!" He called out to the dog as he began following Donald once again.

Little did either realize that one of the people they were looking for was just around the corner, and Pluto had just sniffed them out.

* * *

"Miss Zaria! Are you alright?"

A faint headache pounded in Zaria's head as she slowly opened her eyes, groaning in the process. Despite that, she did not waste time in carefully getting to her feet upon hearing Dimitri's voice, taking a moment to make sure she did not lose her balance.

"Yup, just dandy." She replied, brushing off the invisible dust that may have been on her clothing, before looking at her companion. "Still not used to traveling like that, though, but I'm alright." A faint smile formed on her lips as she pulled her hood over her face a bit more. "What about you? All that fighting must have shaken you up quite a bit."

"Oh, nothing that I haven't felt before," he replied, waving his hand in a sort of dismissive manner. "I've gotten used to all that, so I'll be just fine."

Zaria nodded at that.

"That's good to hear," she spoke, her head falling so that she was looking at the floor beneath her.

"What's the matter?" Dimitri asked, noting the sudden movement she made.

"Oddly enough," Zaria slowly answered, "I can't help but wonder if that kid made it out okay."

Despite the destruction of the island, Zaria could not help but wonder if the boy she fought alongside with against the massive Darkside actually made it out alive or was swallowed by the darkness along with his world. His fate, as well as the fate of his friends, remained a mystery to her, and all she could do at that moment was wonder. Even though there was not much that could have been done at the time, she still pondered the thought that began to plague her mind, especially after seeing that kid wield a Keyblade as if he had one all his life. She wondered if he truly had the strength to make it through to the other side and reach Traverse Town or if he would lose his heart to the darkness that claimed his world like so many others before it. Then again, if she was genuinely worried about him and his safety, she would not have left him behind so suddenly unless she was certain that he would not make it out alive. It was a rather quick decision on her part to separate from him, but at the same time, one that she felt was...okay with doing. To her, she could feel some sort of...light radiating from him, as if the darkness was incapable of touching him or at the very least it was tough to reach him. She believed that, despite knowing little about him, he would survive on his own without her assistance. Whether it was because she knew he had the Keyblade or simply because she just had a hunch, she did not know.

Nevertheless, Zaria felt it was best to part ways with him. After all, he was better off being in a world with people like him than going out and fighting monsters he knew nothing about.

"I'm sure he made it out just fine," said Dimitri in response. "Not only that, but I get the feeling we'll run into him very soon."

She looked at him again, raising a curious eyebrow.

"What makes you say that?" She inquired.

The creature gestured out in front of him as he said, "Well, for starters, we've ended up in Traverse Town as well."

Brows furrowing instantly, Zaria took a moment to look at her surroundings, only to be struck with shock at the familiar sight of the Victorian buildings around her, buildings that she knew only belonged to the world of Traverse Town. They just happened to end up right in the middle of the Second District, and it did not even occur to her where she actually was until Dimitri mentioned it. She was horrified.

"What?!" She exclaimed. "How did...? When did...?" She took a moment to process what was happening before groaning and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why did the Keyblade bring me back here?!"

"It must have followed the light the woman was talking about," Dimitri explained, looking around as well. "No doubt that boy is here as well, so it must have brought you here because it followed him."

"Or... " Zaria slowly began, moving her hand from her face slowly, " ...maybe I tried to use it, but it was too late, and we got sucked in. " Dimitri shrugged as she sighed, shoving her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. "Whatever the case may be, I'm back in Traverse Town again. "

"It has been quite some time since we last visited this place, " Dimitri marveled at the familiar sights. " Nothing seems to have changed. "

Zaria glanced up at her companion from under her hood.

" Any idea on what to do ? "

"Well, I have one suggestion, " he began, scratching his chin, " but...I don't think it's one you'll like. "

Before he could finish, though, Zaria immediately turned her nose to the air.

" If it has anything to do with finding that kid and helping him, " she stated with a frown, "you already know my answer."

Dimitri sighed and looked at her.

"Come now, Miss Zaria," he pleaded. "It wouldn't hurt to have someone else tag along with you, especially someone who had no idea as to what's going on."

"I already have you, Dimitri," she explained, returning his gaze with a blank stare, "so I'm satisfied with my party as is. You should know by now why I'd rather keep this party down to you and me."

"I do, but..." He started, ears falling back and looking toward the ground. "I feel like...that boy is different from anyone we've ever encountered." Zaria raised a brow as he continued," It seems like he would be able and willing to learn everything he needs to know to survive in the outside worlds as we can."

"That doesn't mean he will," she pointed out coldly. "It's far too dangerous right now, especially for a kid like him who knew nothing about the worlds outside of his island until now."

Dimitri sighed once more and looked toward the sky.

"That may be, but...I believe he could do it." He stated with a hopeful look in his eyes. "After all, he wields a Keyblade as well, just like you. And he wields it rather well, I might add."

With a pout, Zaria's gaze fell to the floor.

"Whatever the case," she went on, "it doesn't change the fact that he's still far from prepared to fight what lies outside his island. If it were up to me, he'd stay here with Leon and the others where he would actually be safe."

As she finished her sentence, Dimitri perked up and looked at her once more.

"Speaking of Leon and the others, how about we pay them a visit?" He suggested, earning a look from Zaria. "It has been quite some time since you last saw them. It'd be good to let them know we're here and say hello."

Zaria closed her eyes, unable to hide the small smile that formed on her lips as she remembered the names and faces of her old comrades. Even though her solitude was much preferred, her fellowship with Leon and others seemed great. Dimitri was the one to point out that they were practically friends, though Zaria would never entirely agree with the idea ; they were just comrades fighting for the same cause, and there was no way she would allow any enemy to harm them. She had no ill will toward them - not in the slightest - and she did all that she could to help them fight against the Heartless. However, she was still hesitant to call them "friends " despite caring about their safety and well-being, similar to her reaction to the boy. To the others, it was her way of keeping up the " lone wolf " front she put up. For her and Dimitri, however, there was a reason behind it all, a reason they knew far too well, and it was one of the main reasons that she only kept her animal companion by her side and no one else while traveling to other worlds. Still, it did not change the fact that, after being away for a little over a year, it was nice to visit some familiar faces.

"I suppose you're right about that," she agreed. After that, she looked around the area and let out a small huff. "Question is...where the hell do I start looking for them?"

* * *

"Hey there, how can I..." A man at the counter spoke as Sora entered the strange looking building, completely unaware as to where he was even going.

His head still had trouble trying to wrap his head around the sheer fact that he was actually in an entirely different world. His only confirmation was after being licked and nearly crushed by a strange looking dog before it took off to an unknown location. The memories of the events that had taken place - losing Riku and Kairi, being assisted by that mysterious girl, and even the destruction of his home - was still fresh in his mind, as if it had happened mere moments ago. For all he knew, it actually was minutes ago. Then again, he was knocked unconscious, so whether or not that was true was beyond his knowledge at that moment. How long he had actually been in this new world was unknown as well, but that was a question that did not concerned him. What did, however, was where exactly he was and what was going on.

As Sora glanced around a bit more, he overheard the man say, "Aw, it's only a kid."

That statement alone was enough to grab his attention instantly. Sora looked in his direction and was able to get a good look at him. The man appeared to have short blonde hair with goggles over the top of it, blue eyes and what seemed to be a bit of stubble on his chin. He was chewing on a toothpick as well. Around his neck was a rectangular looking charm, and he wore a white t-shirt with two buttons descending from the neck. It was hard to see anything else, but Sora was able to catch a glimpse of his baggy blue pants and a wide orange waistband with thin stripes on it in a vertical manner.

An annoyed look crossed Sora's face as he approached the stranger, still remembering his comment from seconds ago, before he stated, "I'm not a kid! And the name's Sora!"

"Okay, okay, simmer down." The man calmly responded. It was evident that he had no remorse over the name he gave to Sora, but at the same time would have rather avoided the trouble. "So why the long face, Sora ? You lost or somethin '? "

"No ! " Sora quickly responded. After a moment, he could not help but recoil a bit before continuing, "Well, maybe. Where are we ? "

"Huh ? " The man raised an eyebrow at the question before he moved a hand to his chin as he mumbled to himself. "Well, it looks like you're kind of new to the whole 'being in another world ' situation, so I guess I'll cut you some slack." He, then, moved the hand that was on his chin and placed it on the counter in front of him, keeping the other hand at his hip. "Where are you from, anyway?"

"Huh?" Sora collected his thoughts before answering. "Well, I was on my island and...when I woke up I was in this city." He looked away. "I don't know where any of my friends went..."

"Well, the world you're currently in is a place called 'Traverse Town. ' "

"Traverse Town..." Sora muttered the name to himself, familiarizing himself with the name, before giving the stranger a mischievous look. "So, _Gramps_ , is this really another world?"

The name calling earned Sora an equally annoyed look from the man.

"Don't call me gramps!" He snapped. "The name's Cid!" He stood up straight and looked away. "Anyway... Not sure what you're talkin ' about, but this sure ain't your island."

"Hmm..." Sora thought to himself. "Guess I'd better start looking for Riku and Kairi."

Cid glanced at him upon hearing that.

"I figure if your friends are still tickin'," he explained, "they're gonna be somewhere around here." He paused a moment and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you ever run into trouble, you come to me. I'll look after you."

With a simple nod, Sora made his way back to the door. He did not know what to expect from the unfamiliar world he found himself on, but he hoped a bit of exploring would help calm him down. Not only that, but it was best to try and search for Riku and Kairi as well. Maybe they ended up in Traverse Town as well, and it was only a matter of time before they reunited once more. It was a calming thought, but it still did not change the fact that he was still worried about them and their safety.

It was after that thought that he remembered one last thing, one thing that he found hard to forget: _I wonder if that girl made it out okay..._


	7. New Faces

_**Sometime Later...**_

"Damn it!" Zaria shouted as she slammed the doors behind her just before keeping it shut with her back. Dimitri had leapt off her shoulder and stood in front of her. "I thought those things were vanquished!"

It did not take long for Zaria and Dimitri to run into a group of Shadows during their search, much to her surprise and annoyance. The last time she had come by, Leon and the gang had everything covered and things were going well. With her return, it appeared as though more Heartless appeared from seemingly nowhere, bringing along with them a swarm of new Heartless along with them. It was unfortunate for her to see that the leader was still in hiding, or at the very least watching from a safe distance, but it only meant that she had a job to do. In many ways, she was a bit happy to have returned to Traverse Town to help out the people that resided there. Who knew what would have happened had she gone to a different world.

"The leader must be active again," Dimitri stated, a look of worry and concern on his face. "There's quite a lot out there, a lot more than before."

"Yeah, well, it's nothing I can't handle," Zaria said, shifting her Keyblade, so she had a better grip.

"You can take care of it, yet you're hidin' in my shop, huh?" A familiar voice sounded, grabbing Zaria and Dimitri's attention. It did not take long for them to realize who it was, and she wasted no time in giving him a pouty look.

"Good to see you, too, Cid," she called out to him. "I see you've been taking good care of the town while I was away."

He shrugged.

"I'd help you, but from my understanding it ain't nothin' you can't handle," he joked, earning a hard look from Zaria almost instantly.

"Whatever happened to that flamethrower of yours?" She questioned. "That thing could waste these guys with ease!"

He scoffed at the mere mention of his weapon.

"Damn thing busted on me the last time I used it on them," he answered. "Still tryin' to fix it up right now."

Zaria rolled her eyes before looking toward the door, making sure the Heartless were gone for the moment before taking a breather.

"Excuses, excuses," she commented, allowing her Keyblade to disappear as she straightened.

"Anyway, now that those things are gone for the time bein'," Cid crossed his arms over his chest, "when did you two get back? It's been well over a year since you showed your faces around town."

"Well, you know how traveling with this Keyblade works," Zaria started as Dimitri leapt onto her shoulder. "It takes me where ever it wants to without any real knowledge as to where I'll be heading next." She tugged on the front of her hood and stuffed her free hand into her pocket. "Unfortunately, the last place I went to ended up getting consumed by darkness." Cid looked up in thought at the comment, as if remembering something, while Zaria continued. "Not sure if it was because I didn't use my Keyblade on time or if it was just too late, but I ended up here again."

"Well, whatever the case, it's good you're here," he stated. "Leon and the others were wondering when you were gonna stop by again."

"Speaking of which," Zaria murmured as she raised her head to look at him, "any idea as to where they are? We were looking for them when we got ambushed."

He scratched his chin in thought for a moment before saying, "Haven't seen 'em in a while, but chances are they might be in that secret entrance in the back alley." He put his hands on his hips again. "Then again, it might still be walled off, so I got nothin'."

"It's a better place to start than nowhere, I suppose," she said, looking toward the door again and summoning her weapon. "Thanks for the suggestion."

"Oh, and before you leave, there's somethin' you should know," Cid called out to her. Zaria and Dimitri both looked at him. "A new kid is runnin' around town lookin' for his friends." Zaria looked toward the door as Dimitri perked up at the news. "Not sure how he's handlin' by himself, but keep an eye out for him while you're out there. Might be nice to have some back up in case you need it."

"Hmm..." She grumbled to herself so that he did not hear. "No doubt that's the same kid from the island." She carefully rolled her shoulders so she did not knock Dimitri off. "I'm sure he'll be okay with these small fries...but I'll see what I can do." She placed her hand on the handle. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll be back soon."

With that, she opened the door and ran out, shutting it behind her as quickly as possible, before turning back to come face to face with a small swarm of Shadows. Without hesitating, she swung her blade and cut through them with ease. When she felt Dimitri crawl into her bag once more, she turned toward the direction of the alleyway and ran toward it, turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

Just as she vanished from sight, though, the familiar sight of Sora, with his own Keyblade in hand, turned the corner of the opposite end, nearly tripping on the last step as he ran. He took a moment to turn and destroy another Shadow that had chased after him before running toward the shop. When he reached the door, he wasted little time in opening it and running inside, closing it after him to keep the monsters from getting in. With his hands planted against both doors, he took a moment to catch his breath.

It threw him off guard to see the creatures from his island find their way to this world. Whether they followed him from that massive orb that consumed his world or if they were here all along was a mystery, but he did not ponder that as he fought his way through the monsters. He searched through every alley, building, and rooftops that he could find in search of his friends, fending off the occasional attack from Shadows, but there was no sign of Riku and Kairi. No matter how hard he looked, there was just no sign of them anywhere. Did they even end up here like he thought, or did they end up somewhere else? It was frustrating thought, but it was one that he may have had to face.

"Back already, eh? That was fast." Sora looked over his shoulder to see Cid turn around to look at him. When he caught sight of the boy, his expression changed to one of slight surprise. "Oh, it's you again. My bad." Sora looked confused for a moment as he turned to face him. Did Cid mistake him for someone else? "How's that search comin' along? Still haven't found 'em?"

The thought reminded Sora of his search, causing him to lower his head in defeat.

"No, no luck." He replied. "And I looked everywhere, but there's no sign of them."

"Keep your chin up," Cid told him. It was almost stern, but to Sora, it felt more reassuring. "Take another look around town. They're bound to be somewhere." Sora looked at him and nodded. He had to be right. Maybe another look around town would help. "Oh, and I should mention this," Cid scratched his chin in thought, "There's a girl runnin' around town, much like you, who knows her away around this place really well."

The mere mention of a girl perked Sora up instantly.

"A girl?" He questioned as she ran up to the counter. "Is she wearing a hoodie and covering her face?"

Cid looked at him, raising a brow.

"So you have met her," he stated, confirming his suspicions.

"She was on my island helping me fight those monsters, but..." He looked away for a moment before he looked back at him. "Do you know which way she went?"

"As a matter of fact, she was just here a little bit ago lookin' for some people," he told him. "She can't have gone that far. You may be able to catch her if you head out now."

"Thanks," Sora spoke quickly as he ran to the door.

"Be careful with that kid," Cid called out to him, causing Sora to stop at the door and look over his shoulder. "She's stone cold and a bit of a lone wolf. Has been for as long as I've known her." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know your reason for wantin' to find her, but be prepared if she tries to avoid you."

With a simple nod of acknowledgment, Sora exited the shop and entered the outside once again. To his surprise, the monsters were all gone and an almost eerie silence crept over the area. He walked forward a bit, keeping a close eye on his surroundings in case one tried to attack from behind. Instead, however, he was met without something, or rather someone, different.

"They'll come at you out of nowhere."

Sora stopped and turned to where he had just come from, his Keyblade now in hand.

"Who are you?" He questioned as the stranger appeared from around the corner.

The stranger turned out to be a man with long brown hair and stone cold blue eyes, a notable scar running diagonally across the bridge of his nose. He appeared to be wearing a short sleeved black jacket with a white undershirt. Three brown belts were strapped to his left forearm as well, and he wore a pair of black gloves. His black pants had vertical zippers going down the side of each of his legs, and there were three buckles on his right thigh. Around his hips were three belts - two brown and worn loosely; two black ones and worn loosely and correctly respectively.

"And they'll keep on coming at you," he continued, ignoring Sora's question entirely, "as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade." Sora just looked at him, his eyes staring him down as if the man was just another enemy. "But why?" The man asked suddenly, his hand moving to his face in a manner that seemed bewildered. "Why would it choose a kid like you?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Sora questioned, annoyed over the name everyone seemed to give him.

The man allowed his hand to drop to his side moments before he started walking toward him.

"Never mind." He answered. The response sounded a bit odd; it was almost like he remembered something and pushed his question to the back burner, leaving Sora without a reply. "Now, let's see that Keyblade."

"What?" Sora gasped, but quickly prepared himself for a fight. What was this guy thinking? That Sora was not fit to wield the Keyblade? Granted, he did not exactly know why he had it or what the purpose for it was, but it did not mean he was just going to give it away, especially to a total stranger who mocked him. "There's no way you're getting this!"

The man stopped in his tracks at those words, looked at him in silence, and pulled out a weapon of his own. It was a very strange weapon, a combination of what appeared to be a gun with a massive blade attached to it. Sora had never seen anything like it. Then again, this was a whole new world, so anything was possible.

"All right," he simply stated, "then have it your way."

* * *

"H-hey...are...are you okay?"

An unfamiliar voice along with what sounded like rushing water had awoken Riku from what he believed was a dream, a dream that felt real enough to leave his mind in a haze. His body felt heavy and cold as he laid there motionless, but even then he was not numb. He could still feel everything around him. The floor he was laying on felt just as cold, nothing like the sandy beaches of his island. If he remembered correctly, his world was now gone, and there was no way for him to return. At least, that was what that dark and mysterious creature had told him.

Just as the silence was about to set, he felt something against his shoulder. It was a hand, he presumed, had delicately fallen upon him, almost as if it were trying to wake him up. It was enough for him to move his fingers and slowly open his eyes. In that instant, he felt the hand quickly disappear, as if the person speaking to him had recoiled. His point was proven further as the sound of shuffling was heard as well, fading just a bit before vanishing. It sounded a lot like the person had moved away from him. Whether it was to give him space or simply out of fear he did not know, but all that mattered at that moment was to find out where exactly he was.

When his eyes opened completely, he looked up the source of the rushing water sounds. It had come from a waterfall...rising? Yes, that was it. Instead of the water falling down, it was rising upward. Despite his surprise at the strange sight, he pushed those feelings to the side for the time being and continued to get to his feet. It felt like an uphill battle for a moment, but it did not take long from to slowly stand. As he did, however, a wave of dizziness struck, causing him to lose balance a bit. In a matter of seconds, he felt someone grab a hold of his arm - delicately so not as to hurt him he noted - and placed a hand against his chest. It was like the person was assisting in making sure he could stand on his own.

"Where...am I?" He found his voice though it was a bit weak. It was as if he was defeated in a fight and was only now waking up from resting.

The person that was holding him, just as before, recoiled once again as he spoke. Only this time, he could hear the shuffling of feet as they stepped away from him. When he was certain that he could stand on his own, he made the decision to figure out who the person was and immediately looked in their direction.

The person appeared to be a girl, possibly around his age, wearing a black and white colored hoodie over what seemed to be a black shirt. He could not see her face as it was covered by the hood itself, but it was evident in the way that her hands hovered in front of her that gave away that she may have been afraid of him. She wore dark colored pants with a grey outlining of what seemed to be a crescent moon on her right leg, just on her thigh. Two chains were attached to her belt loops, and they were located on her hips, one on either side. Lastly, she wore a simple pair of black colored boots.

Riku stared at the girl for a long time, long enough for him to notice her visibly shrink under his stare. It was clear that she was very uncomfortable with his presence. That, or just not used to meeting new people. Either way, he did not let that stop him.

"Where am I?" He questioned though he made sure it was in a manner that did not startle her. It worked, fortunately, as he watched her visibly relax ever so slightly, her hands falling just a bit.

"U-umm..." She slowly started, stammering on her words. "Y-your world was...taken by darkness...right?"

He would have been annoyed at the fact that she answered his question with another question, giving away that she was really not used to talking with people, were it not for the fact that he was reminded of what happened. The loss of his world felt like one big dream that he would wake up from, but if what that dark being said was the truth, then maybe it was no dream at all, but reality. And if that happened to be the case, then Sora and Kairi would have come to this world as well...right?

The moment his friends came to mind, he began looking around the area in the hopes of finding them. The girl quietly watched from a distance as he began calling out to them. "Sora! Kairi!" Even over the roaring sound of the water around, he heard no response from his friends. It left him feeling defeated, his head falling in a similar manner. Was he lied to? Did that dark being blatantly lie about his friends joining him just to make him feel good?

"You've lost your friends?" The girl suddenly spoke up, only this time with less of a feeling of extreme shyness.

Riku looked at her, noticing her arms at her sides and standing straight. Did she suddenly gain some confidence in the span of a few seconds, or was she just playing a new role? Not only that, but did she sound a bit different? He did not linger on the thought as he answered, "I was told that they were supposed to come with me when..." His gaze shifted as he was reminded of what happened, but looked at her again. "They were supposed to join me, but they haven't."

When he finished, the girl shoved one hand in the pocket of her hoodie, while the other fell against her chin.

"Mmm..." She hummed, though it sounded like it was mostly for herself than anything. "You know, there may be someone here that can help you solve that problem."

Riku looked at her curiously, but at this point he did not have much of a choice but to listen.

"And who is that?" He asked.

Instead of responding, the girl moved her hand from her chin and turned to look over her shoulder, looking past the floating platforms at something in the distance. He followed her gaze and saw an mysterious looking figure appearing from seemingly nowhere, watching the two in silence.

"The best person I can think of is her," she said to him. Riku looked at her as she turned to look back at him. "After all, I actually stood in that same spot you're standing in, dealing with the same predicament you're currently in."

He continued to stare at her as she turned around completely so that he back was now facing him before he found his voice and asked, "Who are you?"

"Me?" She responded. After a brief pause, she giggled. "Let's just say I'm someone who understands what you're going through. Or better yet..." She looked over her shoulder. "Think of me as...a friend, if you will."


	8. Explanation

"Gawrsh, there's nobody here," Goofy observed the bleak looking back alley, seemingly left abandoned by its residents, as he and Donald continued their search for Leon and the key. "Sure is spooky!"

Their search all over town lead them to dead end after dead end, with no clues as to where anyone could have been. The town seemed rather peaceful, to say the least, but the eerie feeling that something was watching them from every corner lingered in the back of Goofy's mind. The sense of fear gripped Goofy even as they entered the back alley, but for some reason, it felt more sinister being there than it did anywhere else. Was there something following the two, waiting for the opportune moment to catch them by surprise?

As for Donald, however, he did not appear to be fazed by the eeriness in the slightest. In fact, he was in the lead with his beak held high.

"Aw, phooey." He responded to Goofy's concern. "I'm not scared."

In the seconds that Donald had said those few words, he felt something tap on his shoulder, instantly freezing the royal magician before screaming, leaping onto his companion's back -frightening him as well - and shaking like a leaf. It turned out he was just as fearful as Goofy was.

"Excuse me," a meek voice suddenly spoke from behind the two. "Did the king send you?"

It was enough for the two to realize that there was no danger. Looking over their shoulders, they found a young woman with green eyes and long brown hair. Her hair was styled into a braid down her back with curls on either side of her face and bangs framing her face. She was wearing a pink dress with magenta lining and buttons going down the front with only the last two unbuttoned at the bottom. On her wrists, she had what appeared to be coiled wires as bracelets, and around her waist looked to be a lilac belt with a black string tied into a bow.

The woman smiled sweetly at the two, assuring them that she was not just a friend but someone that could aid them in their quest. Finally.

* * *

"Come on, lazy bum. Wake up."

Upon hearing a rather familiar voice, Sora rose from what presumed was a bed and shook his head, attempting to ward off a headache that began to disappear slowly.

It was hard for him to remember if he won the fight against that man or if he lost, but he could remember passing out from such an intense battle. The Shadows he fought before were nothing compared to what that guy had, firing off fireballs and swinging with enough power to almost cut through him. Sora was fortunate to say he did fairly well despite blacking out at the end of it, but being the victor at this point was placed on the back burner, especially he heard the sound of a familiar voice.

"You okay?" They asked, the sound of concern evident in their tone.

Sora looked up slowly at the person in question, only to find himself staring at the familiar sight of Kairi, a sincere look in her eyes and a small smile on her face. Even though he still felt a bit weak, he was ecstatic to see that she was okay.

"I guess..." He spoke slowly, adding a small nod along with it.

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade," Kairi explained to him while Sora sat a bit more comfortably. "But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade."

Sora did not really understand what she meant by that, but he still could not help but smile.

"I'm so glad that you're okay, Kairi." He said to her. Instead of responding in a similar manner, however, he was a met with a confused look from Kairi.

"Kairi? Who are you talking about?" She questioned him, genuinely confused by the name. Sora's smile and relief vanished in an instant as Kairi, or the person who appeared to be Kairi, continued to speak, "I'm the great ninja Yuffie."

"Huh?" Sora rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as Kairi's voice changed to someone completely different before looking back at where she stood.

Instead of finding Kairi, he found a woman with short, black hair wearing a metal headband with two green tassels. She wore a yellow scarf and a green tube top with two blue belts holding it up. On her arms she wore mesh sleeves that disappeared into a pair of orange fingerless gloves with black bands on each end. She also wore a pair of tan short-shorts with loose blue belt around her waist. Lastly, she wore a pair of white socks that reached to the middle of her thighs and orange colored shoes.

It was very obvious that the person Sora was looking at looked nothing like Kairi. That being said, how could he have seen and heard her voice?

"I think you might have overdone it, Squall." Yuffie spoke, looking Sora over before turning to look toward another door, where the same man Sora fought pushed himself off and turned to them.

"That's Leon." He told her coolly, though it was evident that it was not the first time he had to tell her that.

Sora, as Yuffie stood up straight, caught sight of his weapon near Leon, his gaze fixated on it for the longest time.

"The Keyblade..." He muttered out loud.

"Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures," Yuffie explained as she walked towards Leon before she looked back at him, her hands falling to her hips and a smile on her face. "It turns out that's how they were tracking you."

Sora was still in a state of confusion. Those monsters were tracking him? But why him in the first place?

"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them," Leon went on to explain. Sora looked at him before his head lowered in thought. "But it won't work for long." After a moment, Sora looked back at Leon, who picked up his Keyblade. "Still hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one." As he said this, he raised the Keyblade for a moment before it suddenly vanished from his hand, returning to Sora instantly. Sora looked it over once more as Leon approached him. "Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

Sora looked at him, glaring at the stranger who was now confusing him even more than before.

"Why don't you start making sense!" He demanded, fed up with being given the runaround. "What's going on here?"

* * *

"Damn...not here either..." Zaria mumbled under her breath, staring at the sealed bars leading to the secret area where she believed Leon was located. She huffed with annoyance and scuffed her foot along the ground, stuffing her hands in her pockets again. After a moment, she looked over her shoulder. "He better not be in any trouble..."

" _Okay," the woman, whom Donald and Goofy learned was named Aerith, began to speak. "you know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town, right?"_

" _Yeah," Donald confirmed._

" _But they're supposed to be a secret," Goofy went on to say._

" _They've_ been _secret because they've never been connected." Aerith explained to the two. "Until now." She closed her eyes. "When the Heartless came, everything changed."_

"Now, where am I supposed to look?" She grumbled to herself, looking down the alleyway once more. As she did that, however, her eyes caught sight of a shadowy mist disappear from aroud the corner. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she slowly started walking in that direction, preparing herself for a fight. "That can't be..." She mumbled to herself.

" _The Heartless?" Sora repeated the unfamiliar term out loud, but in a sort of questioning tone as to what they could have meant._

" _The ones who attacked you," Yuffie, who was now sitting next to Sora, clarified, "you remember?"_

When she reached the corner, Zaria halted herself as she watched the mist disappear into the door leading to the west side of the Second District. The sight was unlike anything she had ever seen before, but something in her mind told her it had to be a heartless. With the darkness following after it, there was no other explanation that she could come up with.

"That has to be the answer," she said as she ran up to the door. "Question is, where do you think you're going?"

" _Those without hearts," Leon went on to say._

" _The darkness in people's hearts - that's what attracts them." Yuffie added on while Sora listened intently to what was being said._

" _And there is darkness within every heart."_

 _Sora did not respond to that, silently questioning if that was really the case. Instead of asking that question, though, Yuffie looked at him._

" _Hey, have you heard of someone named Ansem?"_

After reaching the door, Zaria threw them open and ran in, reaching the other side in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, when she made it through, she was met with an empty district and silence. She could not find the shadowy mist anywhere, leaving her frustrated. Did it actually know she was following it, or did it simply disappear? She did not know, but she was certainly not going to allow it to get away from her.

"You afraid of going out like your friends, huh?" Zaria muttered to herself as she slowly began walking, her eyes looking all over in the hopes of catching it.

" _Ansem?" Goofy questioned, the name clearly unfamiliar to him and Donald._

" _He was studying the Heartless," Aerith explained to them while Donald crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the floor."He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report."_

" _Gawrsh, can we see it?" Goofy asked._

 _Aerith, unfortunately, shook her head at the request and answered, "Its pages are scattered everywhere."_

" _Scattered?" Donald exclaimed, standing straight and ceasing the tapping of his foot._

" _To many worlds," she went on._

 _It was at that moment that a thought came to Goofy, one that may have been a decent explanation to one of the many questions that lingered._

" _Oh, then maybe the king went to find 'em!" He proclaimed, earning a nod of agreement from Donald and Aerith._

" _Yes, those were my thoughts exactly," she stated._

" _We've gotta find him quick!" Goofy exclaimed, but before he could make another move, Donald stopped him._

" _Wait!" He shouted, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. "First we need that 'key'!"_

" _That's right," Aerith agreed. "The Keyblade."_

The silence around her was close to driving Zaria up the way, her teeth clenched in pure annoyance and frustration. Not only had she failed to find Leon for the umpteenth time, but now she was being given the runaround by some Heartless she had yet to see before since she arrived. It only angered her further and further as she continued to look.

"If only my Keyblade could detect Heartless," she grumbled. "Make things a lot easier for me."

" _So...this is the key?" Sora raised his Keyblade up a bit, better understanding everything that was going on around him as time went on._

" _Exactly," Yuffie answered him._

" _The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade," Leon went on to explain as he turned around and walked away from the two. "That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what."_

Instead of continuing to walk, Zaria just stopped in her tracks. She chose to stand there and listen to her surroundings, hoping that whatever was there would come to her, or at the very least she would hear it. It was decision she would have rather avoided, but she felt it may have been the best choice since she needed a moment to collect herself and calm her nerves. She closed her eyes, then, and listened.

" _Well, I didn't ask for this." Sora told Leon. It just came to him after all. It was not like he wanted to have it. It just...appeared._

" _The Keyblade chooses its master," Yuffie explained as she looked at him once more. "And it chose you."_

" _So tough luck," Leon stated before leaning against the door once again, crossing his arms over his chest._

" _How did all this happen?" Sora began to question, his mind still swimming with questions and wonder. "I remember being in my room..." Just as he asked that, he shot up from the bed. "Wait a minute! What happened to my home? My island? Riku! Kairi!"_

" _You know what?" Leon started, as if he had a legitimate answer, but simply went on to say, "I really don't know."_

After what seemed like an eternity, Zaria opened her eyes again, staring at the floor in front of her before sighing.

"Guess they disappeared entirely," she mumbled, her hands finding their way into her pockets once more. "Probably for the best. Stupid thing distracted me from my search for Leon." With that in mind, she slowly looked around the area before her gaze fell upon the building that was the hotel. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at it for an extended period of time. "Did...I ever check the hotel to see if he was there?" She asked herself. After a long moment, her lips turned into a pout. "Must have skipped it assuming otherwise...but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it a look..."

With that said, Zaria decided to make her way to the hotel in order to prove or disprove her thoughts. She had no other places to go, anyway, so she made it her last stop before heading to Cid once again. After all, the world was much too quiet, more quiet than normal after ridding all the Heartless in the area. Was it just becoming peaceful? Or were the Heartless waiting to attack?

Either way, she did not waste any time in heading toward the hotel, hoping she would find Leon and the others to make sure they were okay.

* * *

"Sooner or later, the Heartless will find you," Leon told Sora, who was still a bit discouraged over everything that was happening. Upon hearing that, Sora looked over at him. "You'd best prepare yourself."

Sora's expression turned to confusion at that.

"Prepare myself?" He questioned.

"To fight for your life." Leon answered. "Are you ready?"

It took some time for Sora to really think about everything, but it did not take long for him fully understand what was happening and what he was to prepare for. It was at that same moment, however, that another thought came to mind.

" _There's a girl runnin' around town, much like you, who knows her way around this place really well..._ "

" _As a matter of fact, she was just here a little bit ago lookin' for some people._ "

" _She's stone cold and a bit of a lone wolf. Has been for as long as I've known her._ "

Cid's words about the mysterious girl from his island, the one who tried to help him fend off those Heartless and help him and his friends get to safety. Were the people she was looking for Leon and Yuffie?

"I'm ready, but..." Sora started, earning a look from both Leon and Yuffie.

"Is something wrong?" Yuffie questioned as Leon moved away from the door.

"Nothing's wrong...but..." He looked between the two. "There's this girl who's supposed to be here in town. She had a Keyblade, too, and she helped me fight the Heartless. Do you know anything about her?"

It was upon mentioning the girl that the two looked at one another, staring at each other with similar realization, before looking back at him.

"What perfect timing that she came back!" Yuffie beamed, a cheeky smile forming on her face.

"Hmph, perfect timing indeed," Leon mumbled.

"So...so you know her?" Sora pressed, hoping to get some answers about her and what her purpose could have been.

"We do know her, but right now we've got problems," he told him. A glare formed in his eyes at the response as Leon said, "But trust us when we say she'll be okay out there. She's been doing this for a while, so we'll look for her once the Heartless are taken care of. For now..." Leon turned to Yuffie and let his hands fall to his side, "Yuffie, let's go join Aerith. She should be there by now with the other visitors."

Sora looked him, his confused look returning once again. What did he mean by "other visitors"? Were there other people from other worlds here as well? Unfortunately, before he could ask, he was interrupted by Yuffie shouting, "Leon!"

Moments later, a Heartless suddenly appeared before all three of them, its armor clacking as it twitched and moved about. Sora already had his Keyblade ready to fight.

"Yuffie, go!" Leon commanded, to which Yuffie wasted no time bursting through the door behind him, while he brought out his own weapon. "Sora, let's go."

Without missing a beat, Leon lauched the Heartless out the window and into the alleyway, running and leaping over the balcony's edge. Sora ran after him as well, mimicking the same motion as he did, and landed on the ground right next to him. As his feet hit the ground, more Heartless appeared around the two, seemingly surrounding the two and preventing their escape.

"Don't bother with the small fry," Leon told him as he finished off one of the Heartless with ease. "Find the leader!" Sora cut through some more Heartless that tried to attack him as Leon went on to say, "And that girl you mentioned? If you find her, stick with her no matter what she says. I told you she's been doing this for a while and knows how to handle herself, but you may be able to help her better than any of us ever could."

"Help her?" Sora questioned. "What do you-"

"Let's go!" Leon cut him off as he ran off toward the door that was conveniently located nearby, leaving Sora behind to fight off the few Heartless that were nearby.

"H-hey!" He called out, but quickly went back to finishing off the few Heartless that stood in his way before running after Leon.

What he said left Sora confused and unsure as to what he could have meant, but it was hard to dwell on when he had to find the leader. Though he hoped to run into the girl sooner or later. Maybe she was looking for the leader as well. Whatever the case may be, the leader was a top priority to finishing the Heartless. Still, the question came up as to what Leon actually meant by helping her "better than any of them ever could"...


	9. Proving Worth

After going through what seemed like wave after wave of Heartless, Sora found himself in the Third District once more, where his last visit lead him to no clues about the whereabouts of Riku and Kairi. This time, however, there was a different feeling in the air, one that seemed incredibly tense and as if something big was about to happen. Despite that, it was quiet, and quiet was enough for Sora to take a moment to catch his breath, leaning against the door he just came through for support, and allowing his Keyblade to dangle loosely in his hand.

He did not realize just how many Heartless would come the second time around, and searching for the leader was no easy task. The First District was secured thanks to Leon and the others, but the Second District was teeming with Heartless, so much that Sora was surprised he was able to withstand the attacks. It had gotten to the point where he had to flee to the final district in the hopes that the leader was there and ready to be destroyed. Unfortunately, for Sora, it was a bit more fortunate, there were no enemies in sight. It was just as empty and vacant as the last time he had come here, save for a few Heartless. Only this time, the air was different, and there were no Heartless in sight.

After a moment, Sora looked forward at the ledge leading to the stairs before pushing himself away from the door and walking toward it, gripping his Keyblade more comfortably in case there were more enemies nearby. When he reached it, though, he looked over to find there was not a Heartless to be found. It was almost similar to the First District. There was a rather familiar looking person walking at a seemingly cautious pace. Upon closer inspection, Sora gasped as he realized who it was. There was no denying the familiar-looking, dark colored hoodie that he had seen before. It was her! The girl who helped him! The same girl that he was supposed to stick with per Leon's orders!

"It's her..." He muttered as he ran down the steps in the hopes of catching up to her. Deep down, he had a feeling that he would run into her, but at the same time, he though she was so busy trying to take care of the Heartless that he would never see her. Nevertheless, he put those thoughts to the side. She was there, and that was all that mattered. Reaching the bottom step, and nearly tripping over it as well, Sora began running up to her. "Hey!" He called out to her as he became closer and closer. It was only a matter of seconds that, before he could get any closer to her, he had to stop himself from running face first into her Keyblade, which she had quickly pointed at him without missing a single beat. "H-hey! It's me! I'm here to help!" He immediately pleaded before she could make another move.

It was clear that she was staring him down as if he were an enemy despite much of her face being shrouded in shadow. After explaining who he was, however, her expression changed to one of shock before becoming one of annoyance as she sighed. Her weapon still pointed at him as if to make sure he kept his distance.

"So you are here," she stated coolly, almost as if she were anticipating his arrival but at the same time hoping it would not happen. "As expected."

"I've been looking for you!" Sora quickly spoke.

The girl looked at him as she asked, "Why were you looking me?"

"Because I..." Sora looked away for a moment before looking back at her. "I...wanted to thank you for what you did!"

Those words were enough for the girl to lower her Keyblade ever so slightly. The motion lead Sora to believe that she was taken aback by the sudden gratitude.

"You're...thanking me?" She questioned, earning a nod from Sora. After a moment, she vehemently shook her head. "Why bother thanking me? I couldn't save your friends or your island."

"But you helped me fight the Heartless," he explained. "You looked after me and did the best you could, and I'm grateful for-"

"Wait..." She slowly spoke, her weapon lowering even further, but it was still high enough to keep the distance. "You know about the Heartless now?"

It took a moment for Sora to respond, but he did so with a nod.

"Yeah, Leon and Yuffie explained everything that's going on," he told her.

That alone was enough for the girl to lower her weapon completely and turn to face him a bit more.

" _And_ you found Leon?" She questioned. She sounded utterly surprised by that, almost as if she had spent some time trying to find him herself.

"Well, he found _me_ , but that's beside the point," Sora quickly changed the subject. "He told me that if I found you, I should stick with you."

Within moments, the girl shook her head, placing her free hand on her hips, while muttering something along the lines of, "Of course he would say something like that." After a moment, she looked back at Sora. "Listen, kid..." She earned a glare from Sora at the name. "I don't know your name! Cut me some slack!" Before he had the chance to tell her, she continued, "Listen, ki-er... _dude_ , I appreciate the fact that you're grateful...and that Leon sent you to help me...but I don't need it. I'll be fine."

Sora stared at her for the longest time as she turned around once more before he found his voice and said, "But this is the leader we're dealing with right now. Don't you think some help is okay in case something goes wrong?"

"In your case, it would be," she told him. "For me, though, I know what I'm doing. I've beaten leaders long before you even knew what Keyblades and Heartless were." She glanced around for a moment. "You're better off sticking with Leon and-"

"No."

The girl was interrupted by Sora's sudden, yet stern response. It was enough for the girl to look at him once again, noting the hard look he was now giving her.

For Sora, it felt like he was being talked down to as if all the had done so far meant nothing to her. She sounded like she was putting herself on this pedestal where she found herself to be better than him. Maybe in many cases, she was better, but it was unfair for her to treat someone she knew little to nothing about like she did know. Maybe it was not her intentions, but it certainly came off that way, and Sora did not like it.

"Excuse me?" The girl hissed, giving him a hard look of her own.

"I said no," he repeated. The girl looked around once more before looking at him.

"What, do you think this is a joke, a game to you?" She shot. "The Heartless you fought on your island, or even the ones in this world, are _nothing_ compared to their leader. They're stronger than any of the small fry you've faced before." Sora was going to make a comment before she stopped. "That Darkside you fought was an exception cause of me. _I_ helped you, and we didn't even kill it."

"There's nothing wrong with having help," Sora explained.

"It has nothing to do with you helping me," she snapped, clearly annoyed with his persistence. "You don't know what you're getting into. That's the problem."

"Leon explained everything!"

"Leon hasn't experienced what I've seen. There's a difference between knowing about an enemy and having experience in fighting them. You don't have that experience."

"I can learn. You can show me!"

With a frustrated sigh, she turned her back to him once again.

"Now is not the time to teach you how to fight. And now is not the time to be arguing."

"I'm not going anywhere," he told her. "I owe you for what you did for me, and I made a promise to Leon to stick with you no matter what."

"You don't understand..." She retorted, only this time her voice sounded a bit lower and less irritated. Was she...worried? "You can't be here because...because you're gonna get hurt..."

Sora stared her in surprise at the words that she spoke, noting the fact that her shoulders tensed up as well. It looked at if saying those words were difficult to express, and even now she looked like she was still on the fence about mentioning it.

Was that what this was about? Was she afraid that, because of his inexperience from her knowledge, he was going to get hurt? To her, it had nothing to do with him getting in the way. It was more of a safety concern to her than anything else. But why? She knew how well he could fight on his own, and he had even gained more experience fighting more than one type of Heartless. With that being said, was it still not enough for her to actually believe that he would be good enough to fight the Heartless alongside her? Did he have to prove it to her? Did he have to show her that he was more than capable of fighting both on his own and by her side? There was only one way to find out.

Before he had the chance to say anything, the sudden sound of screaming was heard. Both Sora and the girl turned around and looked up to find two figures falling from the sky right in their direction.

"Ugh, you've gotta be kidding me..." The girl whimpered under her breath at the sight, seemingly unfazed by what was happening.

Sora, on the other hand, made an attempt at getting out of the way. Unfortunately, not only was it too late for him, but he also ended up running into the girl as well, knocking her to the ground when the two figures landed on him from above. When all seemed to settle, the pile ended up with the girl lying flat on the bottom, her Keyblade fortunate to have been left spotless. Sora, unfortunately, laid on top of her, his Keyblade settled right next to hers. The two on top were in a bit of a daze for a moment before they came to their senses.

"The key!" The two exclaimed as the girl slowly came back to her senses and assessed the situation.

"Gawrsh, look! There are two keys!" One of them said.

"But the king said there was only one!" The other responded.

The girl, once fully back to her senses, glanced around, only to find that she was on the bottom of the unfortunate dog pile. When it hit her completely, she started to panic.

"U-um, can you all do me a huge favor," she started, though her voice was shaking a bit, "and please GET OFF?! I'm a _little_ uncomfortable being trapped like this!"

Before anyone could respond, the ground suddenly began to shake around them. It was enough to distract the girl from the tight space and look around her along with Sora and the two new faces. Within moments, massive walls rose from the ground and blocked off every chance of exit that they had, leaving them trapped inside the area. As this happened, the girl wasted little time in pushing Sora and the others off of her body and getting to her feet along with them. As the last wall rose up and sealed the path, swarms of Heartless appeared on top of them and all around them.

"Should have known this was an ambush," the girl mumbled under her breath as she pulled her hood over her head to make sure it was on securely. When she realized the situation at hand, she inhaled through her nose and turned her head to Sora. "You wanna help me? Fine. You can give me a hand since you don't have much of a choice. Just do me a favor..."

"What's that?" Sora questioned, looking at her as well.

" _Survive._ "

Without another moment to spare, the fight began with the girl running forward and attacking the closest Heartless while Sora followed suit. The two newcomers - whom the two noted were an anthropomorphic dog and duck - were quick to join them soon after. The duck seemed to be a well-trained magician, using a few elemental attacks against the Heartless, while the dog, seemingly more defensive than his companion, used a shield to ward off enemies instead of the standard weapon. Nevertheless, their sudden drop paid off, as there were quite a few enemies that had appeared and would have easily outnumbered both Keyblade wielders.

As the fight continued, Sora could not help but notice the girl occasionally destroying a Heartless or two that he may have missed before sprinting off in another direction to kill another horde. It was almost as if she was secretly keeping an eye on him and making sure that he was safe. Not only that, but she did that with the newcomers as well, dropping by and slicing through enemies before finishing off the ones she was initially fighting. He was surprised to see how quickly she was able to move from one person to the next, all while keeping up with her battle as well. Was she protecting everyone during the fight?

As he was thinking that, he did not catch a Heartless running at him from behind. It was not until he heard the girl shout, "GET DOWN!" that he watched her launch her Keyblade in his direction, similar to a flying disk. Without hesitating, Sora rolled out of the way and turned around just as the Heartless was destroyed. As that happened, the Keyblade vanished in a flurry of light and returned to its owner.

As soon as her Keyblade was returned, the silence was back. The four regrouped and continued to look around the area, but when they realized all the Heartless were destroyed, they took a moment to relax.

"Gawrsh, is it over yet?" The dog spoke as Sora slowly walked forward.

"Far from it, unfortunately," the girl responded, her gaze still glazing over the area.

Suddenly, the sound of metal clashing against resounded from behind them, causing them all to turn toward the fountain. Several metallic body parts - a torso, two arms, and legs - fell from the sky and slammed into the ground before they began to reassemble into a much larger Heartless. The torso appeared to be hourglass-shaped and was violet in color with a lilac diamond pattern around its waist. A Heartless emblem was visible at the front and center of the armor. The arms, or gauntlets, were violet with wide wrists and three lilac, segmented fingers on each, while the legs, also violet, were short and ended with large, hammer-like black feet. Once the entire body, save for the head, was assembled, it landed on the ground in front of them. It was not long before the head, violet in color and sporting three silver spikes and a faceplate littered with holes, fell from the sky and onto the torso, completing the process of being built.

Sora was both awed and horrified at the sight. He was expected a leader, but he was not expecting it to look like that!

"Guard Armor," the girl suddenly spoke while she remained in a battle stance.

"How do we beat it?" The duck asked as Sora looked at the girl.

"It's simple. The torso is its weakness. The limbs are a distraction, but they can all separate which makes it more difficult," she wasted no time in explaining. "The three of you go for the limbs, and I'll-"

"I'll go for the torso," Sora interrupted her once again. " _You_ attack the limbs."

She looked at him with a look of shock.

"Are you insane?" She questioned. "You've never fought one of these before!"

He looked at her and got in his fighting stance.

"I'm gonna prove to you that I can do beat this guy, but I need you guys to help," he explained to her. "Do you trust me?"

She simply looked at him in utter shock at the statement but was unable to answer as the Guard Armor started to advance on them. Sora and the others wasted no time chasing it down while the girl remained behind and watched for a moment as they did just that; the dog and the duck attacked the limbs, and Sora struck the torso. It took her a moment to recoil and come back to her senses, but when she did, she realized the Heartless was preparing to use its arms for an attack. Within moments, she ran forward and, using her Keyblade, stopped the attack with a simple swing.

"He better not get hurt or I'll make him regret it," she mumbled out of frustration.

The battle had become extremely intense for the four, having to dodge and deflect numerous attacks. In many cases, the Heartless split itself, as the girl anticipated into three separate entities. Other times, it slammed its entire body into the ground, nearly smashing one of them every time. Despite being against the idea, she allowed Sora to attack the torso while she helped the other destroy the limbs one by one. Fortunately, the limbs were fairly easy, and the moment they were defeated, they vanished into nothing.

Sora, much to the girl's surprise, was handling the torso of the armor fairly well, dodging its spinning attacks with ease. As much as she wanted to assist him, she remembered him saying that he wanted to prove to her that he was more than capable of handling a battle like this. Still, even from a distance, he could tell that she was watching him as if she were worried that something would happen to him. Unfortunately, it was that worried feeling that left her open.

During the fight, Sora was hit by the attack and knocked backward. It was at this point that the girl had looked over to see what happened, but before she could run over to assist him, the leg had stomped its way over to her and was just moments from stepping on her. She tried to move out of the way, but the leg slamming into the ground was enough to knock her a few feet away. She landed on her stomach and was quick to try to get to her feet when she looked up and watched the duck strike the last limb with lightning and destroy it. Before she had a chance to be relieved, she watched the torso advance toward them and tried to attack. Within moments, she quickly got to her feet and was about to run up to it and protect the newcomers, but was stopped as she watched Sora appear from behind, Keyblade held high, and deal one last blow to the head.

The attack was enough to stop the Heartless from its rampage, and it gave the four enough time to regroup. As this happened, the torso began to rattle violently in a way that looked like it was ready to explode, but instead the head fell off and landed on the ground beneath it. From the top where the head once rested, a bright light shined from the opening, and along with it, a heart floated out. As soon as it appeared, though, it disappeared into the sky without a trace. Sora noticed the girl seemed to shift uncomfortably at the sight but said nothing as they watched the armored beast slowly disappear into nothing. The battle was over; they were victorious.

"You see?" Sora panted, wearing a cheeky smile as he looked at the girl. "I told you I could beat that thing! Did you see that?"

Instead of earning a response, he watched as she pulled her bag off and held it front of her.

"Hey, are you okay in there?" She asked the bag. Sora, along with the dog and the duck, stared at her for a moment, utterly confused as to why she was speaking to an inanimate object before they watched a small rabbit looking creature poke its head out. It looked like it was trying to catch its breath and needed fresh air. The look on Sora's face changed from confusion to surprise. Was it in there the whole time, and the girl knew this?

"Oh, I'm...I'm just fine," the creature spoke, speaking clearly and surprising the three of them even further. "I just...need to remind myself never to be in there when you're fighting Heartless."

Sora noticed a smile on her face for the briefest moments, appearing relieved that what he assumed was her friend was just fine, before looking at him. When she did, however, her smile instantly faded, but it was still evident that it was still there. She looked at him for the longest time before she sighed.

"To answer your question," she began, "yes, I did see all of that. And yes," her smile grew ever so slightly, "I am impressed."


	10. Change of Heart

"So, you were looking for me?" Sora asked the two newcomers after everything had settled, earning an eager nod from each of them.

They had just explained their story to him and how their king had sent them to find "the key," which they did not fully understand until running into - or in their case, falling onto - Sora. However, Sora was not the only one with a key. It turned out the mysterious girl, who was standing off to the side and listening to the conversation intently while her animal companion sat on her shoulder, was also a wielder of the key. Nevertheless, it did not deter them from their mission of finding the king as well as finding the key. Finding another would have been considered a bonus. The more, the merrier, as they say.

"They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade." Sora looked over his shoulder to find that Leon and Yuffie had made their way to the Third District, no doubt witnessing the battle that had taken place. It was not long before he looked over at the girl, who looked at him. "Or in this case, wielders of the Keyblade." He went on to say.

A small, barely noticeable smile formed on her lips as she said, "What are the odds of that, I wonder..."

"Hey, why don't you come with us?" The dog asked Sora, who looked back at the two. "We can go to other worlds on our vessel."

It certainly was not a bad idea, traveling to other worlds seeing new places and new people, doing all the things that he, Riku, and Kairi had only dreamed about as kids. Unfortunately, the only problem was just that: his friends were still missing.

"I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi," Sora stated out loud, lowering his head at the thought of his missing friends. If he could not find his friends in Traverse Town, was there any way he would find them in another world?

"Of course," the duck replied, causing Sora to brighten up and look back at the two just as they began conversing between each other.

"Sora, go with them." Leon urged him as Sora shrank back a bit and lowered his head once more. "Especially if you want to find your friends."

Sora thought for a moment despite feeling down about the idea of not finding his friends, but eventually muttered out a small, "Yeah, I guess."

"Geez," the girl whispered to her animal companion so that it was out of ear shot. "Kid reminds me of myself a little too much."

"You two are not much different, you know," he responded in a similar tone. "I'm surprised you have yet to see it."

"How can you see what's not there," she questioned with a small smirk while her companion rolled his eyes. 

"But you can't come along looking like that. Understand?" The duck began to explain to Sora, earning a look from the dog. "No frowning. No sad face. Okay?"

"Yeah," the dog chimed in, wearing a big goofy smile, "you gotta look funny, like us!"

The duck, not exactly pleased with his friend's phrasing, pushed him away and continued to speak with Sora. "This boat runs on happy faces!"

"Happy?" Sora repeated the word just as the two put on their happy faces as an example. Leon and Yuffie watched from afar while the girl and the rabbit looked between them. Was he going to throw on a happy face and call it a day?

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, though, he appeared to do just that. He put on the biggest, cheesiest smile anyone had ever seen in their lives. The girl felt her jaw drop ever so slightly at the ridiculous sight, but at the same time could feel herself beginning to laugh. The duck and dog, however, beat her to the punch as they started to laugh uncontrollably at the sight of Sora's face. As that happened, the girl let out a few giggles but did her best to hold it back. It was a stupid face, so why did she think it was funny at all? 

"That's one funny face!" The dog proclaimed mid-laugh, continuing his laughing fit along with his friend.

A more genuine smile formed on Sora's face after that.

"Okay, why not?" He finally agreed to their proposal. "I'll go with you guys."

Leon turned his head to look over at the girl as she successfully put a stop to her giggling for the time being. 

"Don't think you're being left out of this, too," he called out to her. The others looked at him before looking at her, who took a moment to realize what he said. "You should go with them as well."

It was evident from under her hood that she was befuddled by the suggestion.

"Hmm?" She responded. It was almost as if she did not hear what was said, though Sora wasted no time in reminding her. 

"Hey, yeah! You could come with us, too!" He called to her. "It'll be fun!"

The girl looked at him for a long moment, uncertain as to how to respond, but eventually cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Oh, uh...gee, I, uh..." She slowly started, her feet shifting a bit. "I appreciate the offer...but..."

"Don't even try it," Leon stopped her. "You know this will be good for you. You and Sora are in the same predicament, and you can help each other."

Sora looked over at Leon in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He inquired.

Before Leon could answer, the girl quickly said, "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather not have more people to worry about on my mission. I'm comfortable being on my-" She was once again cut off by her companion pulling her hood back ever so slightly, causing her to panic and pull it forward. "Gah! Can I just have a chance to talk, please?!" She exclaimed frustratedly. 

"Could you excuse us for a moment?" The rabbit politely requested as they turned away from them.

Sora watched them silently as the two turned away in a sort of disoriented manner since the girl was unable to see because of her companion, but the silence was incapable of setting in as Leon looked at him. 

"She's in the same predicament as you because she's lost both her world and her friends," Leon answered Sora's previous question. A surprised look appeared on his face as Leon went on, "Unlike you, however, she's been searching for her friends for quite some time. Judging by the fact that she ended up here, and she's the same as she was last time, it turns out she's come back empty handed." He looked back at Sora, who was now looking at the girl with a look of concern. "Her wish to avoid joining you guys has nothing to do with you. It has more to do with her not wanting to find anyone that she'll end up caring about."

Sora looked back at him questioningly and asked, "What does that mean?"

"Well," Yuffie chimed in, "she won't admit it to us, but we'd like to believe she's scared of making any more friends because she's afraid of letting them get hurt or taken away from her." A finger fell upon her chin with a look of thought crossing her face. "At least, that's the conclusion we've come up with, and she hasn't rejected the idea. We can only assume the loss of her friends made her that way." 

"You're right. He is a friend of hers." Leon responded. "They've been together for some time now, but from the looks of it, she's only willing to have him and her missing friends in her circle. No more, no less." He looked over in the girl's direction. "Having any more people to care about must scare her, even if she refuses to admit it." 

"What about the one that's with her?" He questioned, suggesting the animal companion that was with her. "Doesn't she consider him a friend?" 

Hearing just a small piece of her story made Sora feel more empathetic to how she reacted to him before the fight. He started to understand the situation involving her even better. She wanted to avoid any contact with him, or just anyone in general from his understanding, not because she believed he was inexperienced at using a Keyblade, but because she feared that something would happen to him. She was afraid of losing any more people she cared about in the same way she lost her friends. The whole lone wolf that she portrayed must have been an intentional act to keep people away, one that she may have kept up long enough for her to believe that that was how she was. The question was, however, would aiding them on their quest help turn that whole demeanor around? 

Meanwhile, during that short conversation between them, the girl conversed with her companion.

"Why do you go and do that?" She hissed in a low tone of voice so that the others did not hear.

"Because I don't want you to miss this opportunity due to your stubbornness," he told her.

Her eyes widened at that.

"What? I'm not-"

"I've known you for far too long for you to try and tell me that," he cut her off. "So don't try it." 

She groaned and rolled her eyes. 

"Can everyone stop cutting me off and let me finish?"

"I'll let you speak in just a moment," he said calmly. She kept her mouth shut, allowing him to say what he needed to say, but still had a soft frown. "Listen, I know you're afraid of something happening to them under your watch." Her frown hardened. "And I know that you're just going to tell me you're not scared, but hear me out." She looked to the floor. "You're worried something similar, or something worse, will befall them if you join them. You're worried that the same fate that befell your friends will happen to them."

"He doesn't know anything about the outside worlds," she explained. "He's only just learned how to use that Keyblade and about the Heartless. The small fries we faced are nothing compared to what's out there."

"But you've seen him fight those Heartless!" He pointed out. "He's more than capable of handling the task you've been taking for so long. So...I think it's time make a change."

She tried her best to keep a scowl, wanting to tell him how stupid the idea was, but she could not find the right words and her face just appeared to be more of a concerned look.

He took the opportunity to speak again. "What happened back then was beyond anyone's control. You can't keep putting that guilt on yourself and believe you're at fault for what happened. These gentlemen, however," He peeked over her shoulder for a moment, "can handle it. You won't have to worry about failing them. You'll take care of them just as they'll take care of you. Not only that," He smiled, "but they'll help you find your friends. Isn't it about time you had a little help?"

She continued to stare at the ground for a long moment, staring at her own feet in thought, before slowly looking back at her friend.

The look in her eyes appeared defeated as she stared at him, but for him, it was evident that there was a small glimmer of hope hiding behind them as well. She wanted to believe that there was a way to find her friends. She wanted to feel that, despite her feelings and her way of thinking, what he was saying was the truth. Despite feeling doubtful, though, she was starting to cave into the idea.

"Do you think we'll find them if we join them?" She questioned, her voice low. It was evident she was starting to turn. 

"We won't know unless we give it a shot," he stated. "Give them a chance. Just this once. What have you got to lose?"

She stared at him for a long moment, contemplating the pros and cons of the situation, before she groaned and closed her eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sora and the others watched the girl turn back around and approach them, her companion returning to her shoulder once again. When she was close enough, she looked over everyone one last time before looking at Sora. Then, she sighed.

"All right," she finally said. "I'll go with you guys, too."

Sora had a look of surprise before it immediately changed to excitement.

"Really?" He exclaimed happily.

The excitement radiating from him made the girl cringe a bit, but she nodded.

"Yes, I will," she assured him. "And I'll help you look for your friends, too."

"That's great! And we'll help you find your friends, too!" Sora assured her, gesturing his new found friends.

The girl stared at him for a moment before sending a look to Leon, who shrugged and said nothing, before she looked back at the trio and said, "I guess the best place to start is introductions...right?"

Out of a silent agreement, the duck was the first to raise his hand to the center of their circle.

"Donald Duck," he introduced himself.

"Name's Goofy," the dog was next to follow suit, mimicking the same motion over his comrade.

Sora raised his hand over the other two as he said, "I'm Sora."

After that, they all looked to the girl, each of them anticipating her to join in with welcoming gazes. She looked at them for a moment before looking to her companion, who smiled and tugged lightly on her hood. Instead of responding with how she normally would have - quickly pulling it forward to hide her face - she inhaled deeply, raised one hand to the hem, and pushed it off while moving closer to the group. 

Despite her demeanor and attitude, the girl appeared to be quite the opposite. Her skin was fair, and her hair was the shade of snow, reaching the middle of her back. Her bangs framed around her face, and there were braids fashioned on either side, pulled back to the back and tied securely. Her eyes, however, were a deep sky blue shade, greatly contrasting the rest of her face. Her expression was blank as she stood next to Sora and looked at the circle of eyes, but it was evident that her eyes told a different story. 

"I'm Zaria," she finally introduced herself, raising her hand over Sora's, before looking to her rabbit companion. "And this is Dimitri, my companion."

"A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance," Dimitri greeted them happily as Zaria returned her gaze to the circle.

"All for one, and one for all!" Goofy cheered, ready to start a new journey with his brand, new friends. 

For a moment, Zaria and Sora exchanged glances. Sora's smile and excitement were evident while Zaria did not appear as enthusiastic. All she could wonder is what she was getting into. 

If only she knew that fate had brought her to those three...

"That little squirt took down that Heartless!" A man clouded in shadow, spoke as he looked down at the image of the four heroes standing side by side. "Who'd have thought it?"

He, alongside his comrades, had witnessed the defeat of the Heartless in Traverse Town, seemingly awed and enraged by the fact that a boy, who knew nothing about the Keyblade or Heartless, was able to defeat every enemy that was thrown at him as if it was just child's play. The power of the Keyblade was evident, they knew, as there could have been no other way he would have lived long enough to face even one. Nevertheless, the fact that this boy fought them and succeeded was still just as infuriating. 

"Such is the power of the Keyblade," another man responded, his voice calm and his words articulate, "The child's strength is not his own."

"Why don't we turn him into a Heartless?" A large woman suggested before laughing heartily. "That'll settle things quick enough."

"And the brats friends are the king's lackeys," a third man chimed in, gesturing the dog and duck with his hook. "Swoggle me eyes, their all bilge rats by the look of them."

"You're no prize yourself," the last man - or rather, burlap sac - of the group commented before laughing.

The hooked man glared and shouted, "Shut up!" as he raised his hook in anger.

"Enough." The voice of another woman broke through, silencing them all within moments and turning their attention to her, before stepping out of the shadows. It was clear that she ruled over them; just the sound of her voice was enough to bring forth silence. Following her was the hooded girl, her hands still in her pockets and her face still shrouded in shadow. She had remained silent and simply stared at the image of the group on the table. "The Keyblade has chosen him," the leader spoke, looking over every one of them with a cold, menacing gaze. "Will it be he who conquers the darkness? Or will the darkness swallow him?" She questioned, though it was one that she knew an answer would not come. "Either way, he could be quite useful."

As she spoke, the hooded girl fixated her gaze onto the image of the white-haired girl next to the boy. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest as she seemingly listens to the three new companions. It was a moment staring that the hooded girl's lips pursed in thought.

 _I wonder..._ She thought to herself. _I wonder if she could be the missing piece..._

"The gummi ship is outside that gate," Donald explained to Sora, gesturing to the doors in the distance.

After saying a final farewell to Leon and the others, who graciously offered them munny to spend on supplies before leaving, Sora, Donald, and Goofy met in the First District to discuss what their journey would take them. Zaria and Dimitri were currently not present, as they had some "important business" to attend to before making their leave. What it was, however, was something neither specified, as it was "not important to them as of right now." Though they did offer to go and gather the supplies, they would need for their trip. According to Zaria, she had more knowledge as to what would be required, especially for someone brand new like Sora, and even offered to use her pocket change instead of the munny Leon and the others had given to them. She informed them that the munny would be the "emergency fund" in case she ran out at some point. While it was evident she was grateful for their offering, she insisted on spending her own.

Sora looked to the doors with a look of confusion before looking at Donald again.

"The what?" He asked.

"That's our ship," Donald replied, keeping the answer short so not as to lose time. 

"Wait 'til you guys see!" Goofy chimed in, eager to begin their journey to find the king along with Sora's and Zaria's friends.

As the conversation continued, Zaria and Dimitri exited the Item Shop, having purchased all that they needed, and began to make their way back. Zaria was busy looking through her bag, double-checking all their newly purchased items to make sure it was all set. 

"Few potions, hi-potions, some ethers for Donald and maybe myself if I need to use magic..." She muttered to herself.

Upon hearing the last thing she mentioned, Dimitri looked at her incredulously.

"When was the last time you used magic, Miss Zaria?" He asked her.

Once she was positive that they had everything, Zaria looked up at him.

"I only use it in dire situations, remember?" She explained. "Last time I used it was against a group of those Defender Heartless cornered me."

Dimitri looked up in thought as he remembered back to that time before he shivered.

"Oh, dear. Now I remember," he said with a quiver in his voice. "Those dog shields nearly took a bite out of you. Quite a scary time."

"Yeah, but striking them with a little bit of thunder did the trick," she reminded him, returning her bag to its rightful spot. "But that was a long time ago, and we've gotten better at fighting those guys."

His ears fell back as he whimpered, "Let's hope we don't run into them again in the future..."

She shrugged, careful so as to knock Dimitri over, before she said, "I can't promise that, but let's hope." With that said and done, she returned her hands to her pockets and approached the group, who looked over in her direction. "All right, we're back, and we got what we needed. We ready to go?"

"I've been ready this whole time!" Sora exclaimed happily. "We were waiting for you to come back."

"Yeah, sorry about that," she apologized, glancing at Dimitri briefly. "There were a few things we had to attend to before we left."

"Gawrsh, it sure took some time," Goofy commented. "Was everything okay?"

She nodded, appreciating the concern, and answered, "Yeah, it was okay. Just making sure the people of the town were safe after the attack." Her gaze fell briefly before looking back at him. "It's more for my sanity to make sure everyone's okay than anything, but they're just fine."

"You care about people a lot more than you put off," Sora remarked, earning a look from Zaria. "I never would have known from how you acted."

"I like protecting people and keeping people safe," she responded. "Always have, always will. In my nature, I'd like to think." Before any more questions were asked, she looked to Donald and Goofy. "But enough about me. We should probably get going."

It was when she said that that Sora became excited again.

"Yeah! Let's head to the gummi ship!" He cheered. Both Zaria and Dimitri looked at him, both with confusing looks similar to the one Sora had. When he noticed that, he went on, "Oh, that's Donald and Goofy's ship."

"Ah," Zaria responded before looking to Donald and Goofy. "Well, I guess you can lead the way."

With a nod in agreement, the two started making their way to the door, followed by Sora. Zaria remained behind for a moment and watched before she looked over her shoulder. When she did, she caught sight of Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith standing at the top of the stairs. They were seeing them off, she noted, and she could see the friendly smiles on Yuffie's and Aerith's faces while Leon kept his usual blank stare. Despite that, Zaria could tell that he was, in some way, happy to see her starting a new adventure with new faces. They all were, and Zaria could not necessarily blame them for that. 

She had been on her own, traveling the worlds with no one but Dimitri at her side and searching for her friends, only to come back empty-handed. They wanted her to find someone to help her, but she vehemently refused because of her fear of losing more people. She had already lost her friends, and the guilt was still hanging over her head like a gloomy cloud. She never wanted to experience that again, and avoiding people was her only option in her book. Unfortunately, according to Leon, it also kept her from not just finding her old friends but from finding new ones along the way to help her. Being recruited to help Sora, Donald, and Goofy find his friends and their king respectively was a decent start. They all were on the same boat, but each with a different story. Nevertheless, they were all on a mission to find people, just like Zaria. 

After what seemed like a long moment, Zaria nodded in their direction, a faint smile forming on her face, before turning back around and chasing after the group. In many ways, she was hoping they were right about this, and she was also hoping that history would not repeat itself. Most importantly, though, she hoped that taking this chance would lead her to her friends soon.


	11. Journey to a New World

_**A Few Hours Later...**_

"Geez, what a bumpy ride," Sora commented as he returned to his seat, scratching head after being thrown out of the chair. "I hope that's the last group of Heartless that we run into."

Donald, who was in control of the ship, looked over at Sora.

"Don't count on it," he told him as he looked ahead once more. "There will be plenty more in the future."

The group's travel in the gummi ship was less than exciting. To their surprise, Heartless had appeared in their path during flight, forcing them to go on the offensive and fight them off. Fortunately, Donald was an experienced flier, and he was able to get through with ease. As for the others, mainly Sora, who forgot to buckle in despite being warned by both Donald and Zaria _twice_ , their trip was a bit more on the rough side. Nevertheless, they made through with only a few bumps, but for the most part unscathed.

"Gawrsh, Sora, are you okay?" Goofy asked him. "That was quite a fall you had."

"That wouldn't have happened had he listened before take off!" Donald scolded without looking back.

Sora glared at the back of his head.

"I didn't know we were gonna get attacked in space!" He tried to defend himself, though it was futile in Donald's eyes. After a defeated sigh, he chose to glance over at Zaria, who happened to be relatively quiet despite the attacks. "What about you, Zaria?" He asked her. "How are you feeling after all that?" The response he received was silence. Despite his concern, it did not occur to him that her head was hanging lower than usual until he actually looked closely. She also appeared to be slumped in her seat, and her arms were lazily crossed over her chest. Sora blinked, staring at her for another moment, before he slowly said, "Um, Zaria? Are...you okay?" Once again, there was no response. Instead, he was met with her calm breathing. He became more worried. "Guys, she's...not responding."

It was at that moment that Dimitri, who had secured himself underneath Zaria's seat for the duration of the trip, hopped onto her lap and looked at her. It did not take long for him to realize what was wrong and he gasped, his ears pointing upward immediately in surprise.

"Oh, my word!" He had exclaimed before he looked at Sora with a smile. "She's fallen fast asleep! She must have slept through that whole ordeal! Thank goodness!"

Sora's worry changed to a questioning gaze.

"What do you mean?" He inquired. "You're happy she slept through all that?"

"I'm happy she's getting any sleep at all, actually," he explained excitedly, taking a seat on her lap. "The last time she got any sleep at all was on your island, Sora, but even then I would consider it a power nap more than actually resting her body."

"Why doesn't she get any sleep?" Sora inquired. "Doesn't she know it's good for her?"

Dimitri looked up at Zaria again before answering, "Well, you see, Miss Zaria has been working so hard and traveling so much these days, so much that she rarely has had any chances to rest. And when she does," his ears fell back a bit, "well, the poor girl could sleep for a day and a half if she wanted to, but chooses against that on more occasions than one."

"Why does she do that?" Goofy asked, scratching his head.

Dimitri's gaze fell to the floor.

"Well, to put it simply, she's been searching for her friends for quite some time now. Since the day she lost her home world to the darkness, in fact," he answered. "She's been putting her all into her mission to find them, to the point where sleeping is just useless to her some days."

Sora perked up at those words, though it really did not come as too much of a surprise.

"She lost her world to the darkness, too," he spoke, though it was more of a statement than a legitimate question. Nevertheless, Dimitri nodded in response. "So she and I really aren't so different, huh?"

"That's _precisely_ the reason I found you so special when I saw you again in Traverse Town, Sora," Dimitri began to explain. "Miss Zaria could not see it, but it was clear as day for me. You Two can relate to each other in some ways. Both of you have lost your worlds to the darkness, both of you are wielders of the Keyblade, and both of you are searching for your friends that have gone missing." He looked up in thought. "The only real difference that I can see is the length of time in which you two have been apart from your worlds and your friends. Not to mention the experiences you've had."

Sora looked at him with confusion upon hearing those words, and he could not help but ask, "What you mean by that?"

Dimitri glanced up at Zaria as if looking to her for a response despite knowing one would not come. She only inhaled deeply and exhaled moments later.

"Well, I'm sure she wouldn't mind me giving away some information," he said more to himself than anyone, taking the breathing as a response. Then, he looked to Sora again. "But where to start is the real question..."

"How about her friends?" Donald suggested, glancing over his shoulder while keeping both hands at the controls. "We're helping her look for them, but how long as it been since she saw them?"

It did not take long for Dimitri to respond to that question, but the manner in which he answered was one of concern. "To be quite honest, it's been...a little over three years now."

"What?!" Donald exclaimed, turning around to join the conversation while Sora and Goofy both looked at the rabbit with looks of shock. "Three years?!"

"Well..." Dimitri went on, looking to the floor more so than the three, "to better explain it, she didn't officially begin her mission to find her friends until three years ago. During the years prior, she was learning how to survive and how to wield the Keyblade. And she didn't officially use it properly until three years ago because she was still quite young when her world was consumed."

"Do you know when was the last time she saw them?" Sora questioned. "Maybe there's somewhere we can start searching for them along the way and go from there." Dimitri stared at Sora in complete silence upon hearing that question. The look on his face was hard to read; Sora could not tell if he was thinking about the answer or if he knew it already but seemed afraid to give it away. "Dimitri?"

"She...actually, she hasn't seen her friends in..." He paused for a moment before a look of realization appeared on his face. "Oh, my. It's...it's been _nine years_ since she actually saw them in person. The last place she saw them was in her world...but...that place is long gone by now."

Sora grimaced at the news, looking at Zaria's sleeping form. "That long?"

"It would seem so," Dimitri responded sadly. After a brief pause, he went on, "Wow...it...hasn't actually occurred to me that it's been that long until now. So much time has passed since she has ever seen the people she cared about so deeply. People she spent a lot of time with during her childhood. Knowing that much is...rather sad."

"Sorry," Sora apologized, feeling the need to do so for bringing such a touchy subject up.

"Oh, please don't apologize, Sora! It's not your fault!" Dimitri quickly insisted, waving his hands in front of him frantically. "It's just...I never realized how far Miss Zaria and I have come on this journey together, searching for the people she considers family. Only to find dead end after dead and not a single clue as to where they could possibly be." He sighed. "She must know how long it's been since she's seen them, spent any time with them like they used to as children, and to spend another day without at least knowing they're okay must hurt her." He closed his eyes. "I can only imagine how much she's suffering, and it must be in silence so as to not worry me."

"Hey, maybe that explains why she won't sleep," Goofy suddenly suggested. "Maybe she doesn't want to waste time trying to find her friends because of how much time has passed."

Dimitri looked at him and nodded furiously.

"I get the feeling that that may be the answer," he agreed, but soon looked to the floor once again. "But...for her to believe that resting after a long day is a waste of time is a...horrible thing to assume. She may as well dig her own grave while she's at it." He paused for a moment. "Still, while I'll always disagree vehemently, I'm starting to understand just a bit as to why she would choose to stay awake to search oversleeping for a while. She wants every moment to count, and she's willing to miss sleeping just to do it." He sighed. "Yet, she's more than happy to tell me she's okay."

Sora continued to stare at Zaria in silence, still listening to the conversation and taking it all in. He learned that she was in the same boat as him - having lost their friends because their worlds were consumed by darkness - but when it came to the length of time since they saw them was a whole other story. She was on a boat that was already sailing for nine years while he only just jumped on board and started the journey. The emotional toll that weighed her down must have finally hit her the moment she got on board the ship, sat down, and buckled in. Not even the Heartless attacks that rattled the ship woke her from her slumber. There was no way he could blame her, though. She had more than enough of a reason to do so, a reason that he would never actually understand unless he walked a mile in her shoes.

"Well, I think we should change the subject," Dimitri suggested. "I'd rather not make everyone more depressed."

"You're forgetting the rules!" Donald told him as he turned back to look forward. "No frowning and no sad faces!"

Dimitri chuckled at his comment just as Goofy began to ask, "Well, how about we start with you, Dimitri? How did you get wrapped up in all of this?"

Dimitri's ears perked up at the question.

"Who? Me?" He responded moments before chuckling. "Oh, I've actually been with Miss Zaria since her world was lost. In fact," he looked up at her sleeping face, "if it weren't for her, I would have been lost to the darkness myself."

"How did she do that?" Donald chimed in once again, genuinely interested in the story of the talking rabbit-lion hybrid.

"Hmm..." Dimitri hummed, thinking back to all those years ago on that fateful day. "I'm not quite sure what exactly happened. But I do remember jumping into her arms, and then this bright light shining all around us. Next thing I knew, Miss Zaria and I were safe and sound." He scratched the back of his head before muttering to himself, "If only I could remember where we ended up..."

"Gawrsh," Goofy sat up in his seat as he listened, "and you've been together ever since?"

It took a brief second for Dimitri to realize what was said, but when he did, he looked at him and replied, "Yes. We've been companions ever since. I've been documenting everything that we've seen, much like your friend Jiminy." He took a quick peak over the chair towards the bag near Zaria's feet. "Oh, I could go on and on about the many worlds we've seen! Many of them were beautiful. I have books filled with information about it."

Sora, who was silent the whole conversation, looked back at Dimitri. Despite keeping quiet, he was listening to what was being said and stayed up to date with what the topics were.

"What kind of worlds?" He finally spoke up.

Dimitri looked over his shoulder towards Sora, a smile plain as day over the idea of sharing his experiences with his new friends.

"Oh, worlds you would never think existed," he explained as he looked back down to the bag. "Now, let me grab some and show you."

Before he had the chance to do that, Zaria's hand, the one laying closer to Dimitri, moved from its crossed position and fell upon his head. It nearly spooked the small creature, but instead he looked up at her.

"How about we save those stories for another time," the girl's fatigued voice spoke, her head moving slightly so that she was now looking at him.

Sora looked at her with surprise as he asked, "Were you awake this whole time?"

"Yeah, pretty much," she replied, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before fixing herself in her seat. "I've been awake since I heard Donald scold you for not buckling in," She sent him a small glare, " _like we told you the first two times_."

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Sora pouted and leaned in his seat and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. Despite looking annoyed, Zaria could clearly see the distinct coloration of red forming on his cheeks. It certainly did not help that Donald was trying to hold in his laughter.

"Miss Zaria, you should be trying to sleep!" Dimitri told her, stepping into the role of a pseudo-father figure as he turned himself to look at her completely. "Now that you have companions, you should try and rest up as much as possible."

Zaria looked at him and shrugged.

"You know how I am about that stuff," she stated. "Not only am I a light sleeper, but I decided to fully wake up because-"

"We're here!" Donald unintentionally interjected. Everyone looked over in his direction immediately. "We've arrived at the new world!"

Zaria was the first to stand, picking up Dimitri and allowing him to leap onto her shoulder, as she approached the magician. She looked out the window of the cockpit to look at the strange looking world. Sora was next to follow, moving so that he stood next to her, followed by Goofy.

"Whoa..." Sora marveled at the sight. To him, it was, quite literally, a whole new world to explore. For Zaria, it was a new place to search, and for the first time, she was not just referring to herself. "What is this world?"

"It's a world called 'Wonderland,'" Donald answered him almost instantly.

"Huh, interesting," Zaria muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ever been to this world?" Sora inquired.

"Not to my knowledge, though I'm sure I'd remember an odd looking world like this," she answered, glancing him from the corner of her eyes. "This will be a whole new experience, especially since I'm joined by new faces."

Sora smiled brightly.

"It'll be great!" He proclaimed as he turned to face her while her own gaze returned the new world to observe it further. Donald and Goofy were already heading to the airlock by then. "We'll help each other find the people we're looking for! Just like we promised back in Traverse Town."

Zaria did not respond at first, but when she did, all she could say in response was simply, "Yeah. I guess..." Sora's excitement soon began to vanish, recalling the conversation with Dimitri discussing Zaria's life up until that point. Before the silence became awkward, she let out a single huff. "Well, why are you still standing there looking at this place? Let's get going."

Realizing that the subject was intentionally avoided, Sora smiled and turned to the others.

"Yeah, let's go!" He cheered before he ran toward them.

"Don't try and jump through the airlock just yet!" Donald told him once he was close by while Zaria and Dimitri slowly trailed behind him. "We gotta be careful while exiting!"

Goofy chuckled as the airlock opened. "Ya never know what could be coming from either side." He said as he and Donald stepped outside.

"U-um..." Zaria stammered suddenly as she watched them walk out. "Guys? Aren't you supposed to look before you leap?"

It did not take long for Sora to realize what she was talking about before he gasped and ran after them.

"Guys! Below you!" He exclaimed as he ran through.

"Sora, wait!" Zaria called out, running toward the door as well. Unfortunately, it was too late for the three of them. Before anyone could process what was said, Sora, Donald, and Goofy all went hurdling towards Wonderland, as if gravity was pulling them in. Zaria, on the other hand, halted herself at the door and watched with wide eyes, her heart racing as she started to panic. "Oh, no. Oh, dear. This is not okay!"

"Miss Zaria, don't be afraid!" Dimitri coaxed her. He knew too well that her fear of heights, or rather fear of falling from great heights, was preventing her from jumping through. "There's no way you'd end up hurting yourself."

"B-but they just fell!" She exclaimed. "They just...just fell and...and they're falling! What do I do?!"

"Trust them!" He told her. "This may have been a careless mistake, but they'll be just fine! And you will, too!" She began taking in several deep breaths in an attempt to calm her nerves. When she felt more comfortable, she quickly looked at Dimitri, picked him up, and held him close to her. "Gah! What are you doing?!"

"I'm making sure I don't lose you," she told him. "And I need something to hold onto before I lose it!"

Dimitri was about to say something, but chose against it as Zaria, after a few more deep breaths, closed her eyes and dove through the airlock door, beginning her descent toward the new world and praying to whatever higher being that existed would protect them all from a cruel fate.


	12. Wonderland

Fate had a rather funny sense of humor, a sense of humor that Zaria found difficult to enjoy. On some occasions, it leaned toward a much lighter side, its intentions typically for healthy and playful fun. Other times, however, it tended to lean more to the darker side, a side where its plans leading to misleading and downright evil. It was a fact that Zaria had thought about one too many times during her journey to other worlds. One of the best jokes it liked to play, or rather the "best pranks" as she liked to refer to it, was the one that made her believe she had found a clue to her friends. She remembered looking near and far for anything that would eventually lead her to another clue or even to the people she missed, only to be lead straight into a wall face first and break her nose – metaphorically, of course. It was those moments she could feel something, or someone, laughing at her humiliating failure and misery of falling for such a stupid trick time and time again. It was as if it took great joy in seeing her suffer, and it was a feeling that she greatly despised.

Another prank that fate enjoyed playing? Putting her in a situation where she was forced to face her fears, or as she referred to it, "being in a position that she greatly dislikes." It may not have been as bad as getting led on, but it was certainly high on her list of things she greatly despised.

That was what she felt as Zaria began to realize that, despite being pulled into the strange new world by a seemingly strong force, it no longer felt like she was falling from a great height. Well, it certainly _did_ feel that way in more ways than one, but it was not in a way that would make her feel like she would die upon reaching the bottom. It was because of this that she felt the sudden need to open her eyes slowly, taking a moment to glance at her surroundings, and realized what was happening around her. She was falling, there was no doubt about that, but it was at such an alarmingly slow pace she wondered why she was even worried in the first place. It looked like she was falling through a large tunnel or hole in the ground, the walls around her showing many different objects and pictures like dressers and doors. They looked like they were painted on by an artist with an odd sense of what art truly was.

When she saw this, she could not help but frown as an annoyed look crossed over her face. Once again, fate playing another one of its stupid games to mess with her. She could already sense some higher being laughing at her.

"Zaria!" Her glare faded as she looked over with surprise to find Sora falling right beside her, smiling at her in a friendly manner. "You made it!"

"I should be saying that to _you_ ," she responded, moving to position herself so she could land on her feet. Then, she looked over to find Donald and Goofy falling near them as well. Goofy appeared to have positioned himself in a way that he could simply nap on air, which Zaria knew would not bode well for him if he remained in that position any longer. "Why does it feel like we're falling but we're not?" She asked out loud.

"It must be the laws of this world," said Dimitri, who released himself from Zaria's grip and moved back onto her shoulder, though he kept his grip on her jacket. "Every world is different, remember? So maybe that must be the answer!"

"'Laws of this world?'" Sora inquired. "What does that mean?"

Before he was able to get an answer, the ground suddenly began to grow closer and closer to the group. Within moments, Sora, Zaria, and Donald were able to land on the ground safely, catching their balance quickly. Goofy, however, had a bit of a rough landing, just as Zaria had anticipated. Since he was still lying in a relaxed position, he did not have time to move into a standing pose and land safely. Instead, he tried to turn himself around, only to end up landing flat on his stomach with a loud thud. The four grimaced as they watched him land, but judging from the way he began to move seconds later, they realized he would be okay. Just as Goofy was about to get up, something, or rather someone, ran past him in a rather frantic state. It looked like...a white rabbit? From what they could see as he ran by, he certainly was a white rabbit, a small and elderly one with short ears and a large red nose. He wore spectacles, a red overcoat over an orange button up shirt with a bow tie and white collar, and gray colored pants with a hole in the back for his tail. He also appeared to be carrying a large golden pocket watch. How the small creature could carry it around was beyond them, but they did not have time to figure that out.

"Oh, my fur and whiskers!" He exclaimed as he ran passed the group frantically. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" They all watched in curious silence as he continued to run down the hall. "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I'm here; I should be there!"

Sora, despite still being curious about the white rabbit, slowly glanced in Zaria's direction, his gaze locking onto Dimitri for the briefest moments, before watching the rabbit leave. _Is it me,_ he thought to himself, _or am I the only on that thinks that Dimitri looks awfully similar to that white rabbit?_ Odd to see something so similar to Zaria's companion sprint by, but he resisted the urge to make any comments concerning that little detail. Who knew what kind of reaction he would get from Zaria for making a silly comment like that?

"Odd..." Zaria muttered out loud, earning a look from Sora.

"What is it?" He questioned though he did not get a response as she continued to watch the rabbit.

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" He continued to exclaim just before he turned the corner. "The queen, she'll have my head for sure!"

With that, he was gone as soon as he appeared, leaving them all dumbfounded and confused. Judging from the way he ran past everyone without so much as looking in their direction, and after shouting it to the heavens, he sounded like he was in a rush to get somewhere. Where exactly he was running off to was unclear, but they had plans to find out.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sora returned his attention to Zaria, who was staring blankly in the direction in which the white rabbit had run off to before she slowly glanced up at Dimitri, who happened to be looking at her as well.

"That rabbit looked eerily similar to you, Dimitri," she pointed out, her expression remaining unchanged as she said it. Sora's gaze became one of astonishment, but he kept his mouth shut. Did she have the same thoughts he did? "Is...there something you're not telling me that I'd like to know?"

"W-what?!" Dimitri exclaimed, his ears perking up in the process. "I've never been here before nor am I related to that rabbit!"

A soft chuckle left her as she began to take the lead, walking ahead of the others.

"All joking aside, I think we should follow him," she suggested, looking over her shoulder to the others. "Maybe he can lead us in the direction we need to go."

Sora looked at Donald and Goofy, who were quick to follow suit, before chasing after her.

"How do you know he'll do that?" He questioned when he caught up to her. "Didn't look like he had the time to look at us."

"I don't know if he will," she responded, glancing at him briefly before looking forward again, "but we won't know that unless we follow him and see where he's going."

With that said, the group wasted little time in chasing after the mysterious white rabbit. The hallway in which the creature ran into was a bit shorter than anticipated, and they ended up near a rather large looking door within moments of beginning the chase. As they approached it, it suddenly opened up toward them, revealing a set of two more doors that were smaller than the previous. Zaria was reminded of the little dolls that carried smaller versions of itself – matryoshka dolls, if she remembered correctly – upon seeing the doors. When the third door opened, it revealed an opening for them to enter through. Without a word, Zaria quickly looked at Sora, who returned the gaze, and motioned with her eyes for him to go through first. Whether she was being polite or letting him jump headfirst into enemies was a mystery to him. After all, she was still a rather mysterious person in his eyes, and she could have a multitude of tricks up her sleeve if he was not careful. Rather than make comments or complain, though, he took the lead and walked inside, followed by the rest of the group.

The next room was just as odd as the last. While it appeared to just be an average looking studio at first glance, it was still obvious that there were a lot of strange things within said room. Upon closer inspection, one could see many odd and out of place items hanging about the place and engraved into the walls and floors. The objects that appeared to be painted around the room were oddly placed, such as a strange looking circle on the floor with a red and blue looking squares on the far end. Another part had a suspicious looking faucet against the wall, and it was unclear if it was capable of producing water or not. Sora would have made an attempted to test it were it not for the fact that they were looking for the white rabbit.

Speaking of which, as the group entered the room, Sora had looked down at that very circle and spotted the familiar white rabbit running by. However, he appeared to be no bigger than an insect and was dashing across the room toward the small looking door, wasting no time in entering and shutting the door behind him.

"There he goes," he exclaimed, pointing in the direction in which the rabbit had gone before approaching it. "He went through this door!"

"Seems kinda small for a rabbit that big," Zaria pointed out as she, Donald, and Goofy followed after him.

"How did he get so small," Sora wondered as he lowered himself to get a better look at the door followed by Donald and Goofy. Zaria and Dimitri stayed behind and looked around the room, eying everything that appeared to be out of place with confusion written on their faces.

"No, you're simply too big," a sudden voice appeared, coming from the now sentient doorknob as he opened his eyes and looked at the group. The sight caused the trio that resided in front of him to jump in surprise.

"It talks!" Donald exclaimed while Sora stared at it curiously. The outburst caught Zaria's attention, though she only looked over at them with a blank stare.

"Why am I not surprised?" She murmured to herself as she sauntered over to the three.

The doorknob suddenly began to yawn before he spoke again, "Must you be so loud? You woke me up."

Trying to be friendly, Goofy smiled, waved, and said, "Good morning." Despite being surprised mere moments ago, he did not seem all that phased by the fact that he was talking to a doorknob.

"Goodnight," he groggily replied back, getting ready to yawn once more. "I need a bit more sleep."

"Wait," Sora quickly chimed in, moving closer to the door, "what do we have to do to grow small?"

The doorknob looked at him with fatigued eyes.

"Why don't you try the bottle," he suggested before gesturing behind the group, "over there?"

When the group turned around to see what he was referring to, they soon found that the circle on the floor had risen from the floor and, in a puff of smoke, turned into a small table with a chair nearby. The two colored blocks on it also rose from the table as well, turning into two strange looking bottles sitting neatly next to one another. Each bottle had the words "Drink Me" labeled on them and different wording on each. Zaria, being the closest to the table, wasted no time in picking up each of the bottles and reading over them, while the others got to their feet and approached her.

"You gotta be kidding me," she grumbled, dumbfounded by the sight. After a moment, she looked at Sora handed the blue bottle to him. "This is the one the shrinks, apparently." He looked at the bottle before looking back at her, to which she raised a brow. "What? I'm not gonna be the first to drink a strange liquid I've never seen before," she stated. "Who knows if that'll hurt us or not."

"So you'd rather it be one of us that gets hurt before you..." Sora stated, raising a questionable eyebrow.

She shrugged at the comment in a nonchalant manner.

"Hey, I never said I was gonna be nice to you guys. I said I was gonna help you find your friends," she stated, her expression unchanged as she spoke. Shaking his head at the rather harsh comment, Sora did not waste time in opening the bottle and drinking the contents in one swing. After that, he returned the bottle to Zaria and stood there. Everyone remained silent as they waited for something, anything, to happen. After what seemed like an eternity, Zaria slowly asked, "Well, do you feel anything?"

"He better!" Donald shouted. "He drank the whole thing in one shot!"

Zaria looked into the bottle upon hearing that, but to her surprise, it still looked like it had just been opened. The contents still remained inside, seemingly untouched.

"You sure?" She wondered. "Still looks like he didn't drink any of it."

"Miss Zaria, look!" Dimitri gasped. "Something's happening!"

She looked up, only to find that Sora was, in fact, shrinking in size a lot faster than anticipated. Without thinking, Zaria unconsciously took hold of Sora's hood and held onto him. She did not know what compelled her to do it, but she did not seem to complain or take note of that. To her surprise, he continued to shrink in size, so much that holding onto him caused him to be lifted off the ground. He continued to shrink to the point where his hood could only fit between her index finger and thumb, and eventually he came to be almost the same size as the rabbit. Everyone's expressions changed to one of shock, jaws dropping while Sora began to struggle in Zaria's grip.

"Oh, my God..." She stared in awe. "It actually worked..."

"Hey, put me down!" Sora shouted. "It's really weird being carried like this, ya know!" Upon hearing that, Zaria quickly set him down on the table, where he quickly fixed outfit before turning to them, only to be surprised by the size of his friends as well as himself. He began looking at himself as he exclaimed with a smile, "Wow! I'm actually small! The drink worked!" After a moment, he looked up to his friends. "Guys, it's okay! It'll work for you, too!"

Donald, without wasting time, looked to Zaria, who was still surprised by the fact the potion worked.

"I'll be next! Give it to me!" He demanded. Zaria, breaking her gaze to look at him, handed the bottle to Donald and Goofy, who did not waste time drinking the liquid.

"What a strange place," she commented as she took back the bottle and looked at it again. "I've never seen anything like it." It was not long before she realized that they had begun shrinking as well, and she did not waste time in taking hold of them and placing them on the table just before they got too small.

"Gawrsh, it really did work!" Goofy commented, looking over himself as he shrank to Sora's size. "Everything looks so big now!"

"That's one weird drink," Donald commented, a disgusted expression evident on his face. "Didn't even taste good."

Sora, with a smile on his face, looked up at the giant forms of Zaria and Dimitri, who looked down at them in silence. Zaria looked at them with a concerned expression, while Dimitri was still in awe.

"C'mon, Zaria, Dimitri, you two are next!" He called up to them. "You'll be fine!"

Despite being given the proof that the drink worked for the trip, Zaria expression immediately changed to a suspicious look, glaring at the bottle in hand. Dimitri noticed this and sighed.

"Oh, come now, Miss Zaria," he grumbled. "You know it works! You've seen it!"

Zaria grimaced as she glanced up at Dimitri, her frown growing bigger as she looked at him.

"The fact that it tastes bad puts me off," she commented.

With another sigh, Dimitri took hold of the bottle and jumped onto the table, careful to not step on the others.

"All right, I'll take it next," he informed her, "then you can drink it. Okay?"

Before she had a chance to speak in protest, he drank the entirety of the bottle in one swig and handed it back to her, shaking his head as the strange liquid was swallowed. When she looked back into the bottle, she noticed that, once again, it appeared as though the contents were not even emptied. She looked back at Dimitri as she closed the bottle, only to find that he, too, was now shrinking down to the size of their new comrades. In fact, because he was so small, she was surprised he did not vanish from existence.

"Huh..." She could not help but utter as she continued to look at him.

"What a strange concoction!" Dimitri exclaimed, looking at himself in amazement before he looked up at Sora. "This world truly is a rather strange place!"

"Yeah..." Zaria mumbled as she glanced around the room for the umpteenth time. "Strange indeed..."

"Now it's your turn!" She heard Sora say, though she avoided looking at him for the time being. "You're the last one! C'mon!"

Instead of responding to him, Zaria continued to look around until her gaze came upon the out of place bed sitting in the corner of the room. It was not out of place because it was a bed, but because it appeared to be fixated into the wall more than just a regular bed. Upon closer inspection, she could not help but notice what seemed to be a pathway situated against the wall, right where the bed was standing. It was as though it was placed there intentionally to hide it from plain sight, but it did not seem like they did a decent job.

"Is everything alright, Miss Zaria?" Dimitri called to her, noting the fact that she had spotted something.

"Hang on," she mumbled in response as she began approaching the bed, though it was loud enough for the others to hear.

Sora, instead of waiting, turned in the direction of the chair and decided it was best to start moving. Regardless if she was stalling for time or not, they still had to find that white rabbit and figure out where exactly he was going. Standing around doing nothing, and waiting for Zaria to quit stalling, was not going to lead them to him any faster.

"C'mon, guys," he said to Donald and Goofy, "let's go talk to that door again! He's gotta let us in now!" He, then, looked down at Dimitri and offered a hand. "If you need a shoulder, I can lend you mine if you'd like."

Dimitri was surprised by the offer, but quickly smiled and used his outstretched hand to climb onto his shoulder.

"Much appreciated, Sora," he said, his grin still present on his face.

With that said and done, the group made their way to the now massive chair, leaping onto it and being careful not to slip upon landing. While Zaria was busy searching around the bed a bit further, Sora and the others wasted no time in making their way to the door. If Zaria was not going to be there taking charge, then it was up to Sora to step in and take her place. He may have as much knowledge as she did, but it was not like he was going far with the group. Not to mention that if anything went wrong, they would be more than capable of handling themselves.

"Now, then," said Sora as they approached the door, pleased that they were now the appropriate size to pass through, "let's go through and find that rabbit!" Without a moment to lose, he placed his hand on the doorknob and attempted to turn it. Unfortunately, to their surprise, it would not budge. It was locked. "Huh?" Sora mumbled. "What's going on? Aren't we supposed to get through? We're small now!"

"Gawrsh, have another look, Sora," Goofy chimed in. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the doorknob was, once again, fast asleep. Not even jiggling the door itself woke him up. "It looks like he ain't gonna wake up this time."

Sora groaned, scratching the back of his head in frustration.

"Great," he grumbled. "Now what?"

"Hey!" Zaria suddenly called to them. They all looked over to find her standing near the bed, only instead of facing it, she was now looking over her shoulder at them. "Come over here. It looks like there's another pathway for us to take."

The moment he heard those words, Sora wasted no time in running over to see what she meant by that. Donald and Goofy were quick to follow suit, but because they were all so small compared to Zaria, it took a bit before they reached the bedside as well. It did not take long for them to see what she was talking about, though, as they immediately caught sight of the path hiding behind the bed. It was big enough for all of them, except Zaria, to fit through.

"Hey, you're right!" Sora exclaimed, looking up at Zaria and pointing toward the entrance. "It's definitely there!"

"But it's blocked off," Donald mentioned, turning to Sora. "Zaria will have to move it so we can go through."

"It won't budge," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "I tried to pull it away from the wall, and it won't budge."

Dimitri, after taking another look at the bed, perked his ears up as an idea came to mind.

"Why not try pushing it in?" He suggested before Zaria looked down at him. In any other scenario, she would have given him a confused look. This time, however, her expression remained blank; she was taking it into consideration. "This world does have rather strange laws, so maybe instead of pulling the bed out, you could push it in."

"That's a good point," Goofy commented. "It would make sense if things were opposite in this world."

Zaria looked back at the bed for a long moment, shrugged, and sighed.

"Well, there's no other option," she stated, placing both hands on the side of the bed and pushing. Like magic, the bed instantly fazed into the wall, as if it was now merely a painted decoration on the wall, and the action nearly made Zaria trip over herself. She certainly was not expecting that to be so easy. "Why am I not surprised by that?" She grumbled. It was more to herself than anything else.

"Great work, Zaria!" Sora cheered. "Now all that's left to do is shrink you down to our size." It was upon hearing him say that she could not help but send a small glare in his direction. "C'mon, Zaria, we're not leaving without you. We're a team, remember?"

Zaria did not say a word in response. As much as she would have rather avoided drinking strange substances, he had a point. They were all on a mission to find their friends, and if they wanted to find any sort of clues they had to abide by the rules to get from place to place with ease. Whether she wanted to respect them or not was up to her. That is, of course, if she no longer wanted to find her friends.

Upon that thought, she groaned.

"All right, fine!" She exclaimed, raising the bottle that remained in her hand and opened it once again. "Not like I have a choice in the matter." Without another word, she moved the bottle to her lips and knocked her head back, drinking the liquid that resided in the bottle in one quick motion. The taste was awful, she noted, as she immediately scrunched her nose and frowned moments before she began coughing a bit. "Oh, God! That's disgusting!" She whined as she turned around and returned the bottle to its rightful spot on the table.

"Told you!" Donald called out to her.

After she set the bottle back down on the table, Zaria suddenly realized that the table itself was slowly growing bigger, and she was progressively becoming smaller and smaller. She did not feel strange in the slightest, but the sight of her surroundings growing larger than her took her by surprise. By the time she started coming to terms with what was happening, she was already shrunken down to the size of her friends. The deed was already done, and she was sure her size was similar to that of a small mouse.

"This is still really strange," she mumbled as she looked at herself.

While this happened, Sora had quickly run over to her and was already approaching her when she was finished shrinking.

"See? I told you it would work," he said with a grin. Zaria only looked at him with an unamused expression. She knew he would say that.

"How do you feel, Miss Zaria?" Dimitri asked, switching sides on Sora's shoulders. "Do you feel alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay," she reassured him, extending her arm out to him so that he could return to her shoulder once again. "But I think we've had our fun goofing around with shrinking potions and what not."

Sora nodded in agreement as Dimitri climbed onto Zaria's shoulder.

"Now we can look for the rabbit," he exclaimed.

Zaria could not help but shrink back a bit at his enthusiasm.

"You are one optimistic kid, aren't you?" She commented, raising a brow and crossing her arms over her chest. Within seconds, Sora gave her a hard look. It took a moment for Zaria to realize why he was doing that, returning the hard gaze as well. When she did, however, the look on her face changed to realization. "Ah, sorry. You are one optimistic _dude_ , aren't you?"

With a shake of his head, Sora and Zaria regrouped with Donald and Goofy before entering the new pathway, once again kick-starting their mission to find the white rabbit. Hopefully, they would not have to deal with any more strange events...or drink any strange substances. At least, that was Zaria was hoping and praying for.


	13. A Strange Trial

Zaria did not take into consideration that this new world was only going to become more weird and odd the more they explored. What those strange things could have been was beyond her knowledge at the moment, but the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach screamed that something else was on the way. The sheer fact that she and the others had been sucked through some long tunnel into the world where objects appear and disappear into walls while drinking things could grow or shrink a person was certainly more than enough to consider Wonderland to be on her list of strangest places she has ever visited. However, despite everything she had experienced thus far, Zaria was not anticipating anything funnier than what she had seen already, and she was hoping that things would start to slow down after that. After all, there was no way it could get worse than that, right?

Zaria grimaced and shuddered at the thought. It was probably not the best idea to think such things while entering a whole new room where the possibilities were, quite literally, endless.

The pathway from the bizarre looking room led them to yet another strange looking location, an outdoors area to be precise, much to Zaria's surprise. When the group exited the long pathway and into the outside, they came across what appeared to be the entrance to a rather intricate and long hedge maze. Unfortunately for them, they had no other option but to go through said maze in the hopes of finding the exit quickly. However, before they could even enter, Dimitri was kind enough to lead the way through, since he was able to pick up the scent of the white rabbit and use it to find their way through with ease. It was just what they needed, as they were able to leave the maze just as soon as they arrived, though they did have to turn back around and search for Goofy who accidentally made a wrong turn.

After making their exit once again, they came upon what appeared to be a court like setting settled directly in front of them. Two rows of guards, who looked oddly similar to playing cards, resided on either side, facing toward the center where the stand and judge's seat was located and creating a sort of pathway for anyone to go through. On the left side resided a small staircase leading to a platform, while the right had a stand that was more likely suited for a jury. Then again, Zaria could not help but notice that it was a rather small spot for a jury to preside, not to mention not a single person was sitting in that spot.

Instead of focusing on the rest of the area, though, Zaria's gaze fell upon the center of it all, believing it to be where the action took place. To her surprise, she caught sight of a young girl taking the stand in front of who she presumed to be the judge. The girl had her back towards the group, but Zaria could tell that she appeared to be rather young, no more than ten years of age, with long blonde hair tied with a black bow on top of her head. From what she could see from a distance, her attire consisted of a blue dress, white stockings, and black shoes; whether or not there was more to it than what she could see was hard to tell then.

Before long, Zaria's gaze immediately caught sight of the familiar fur ball that was the white rabbit scurrying up the small staircase. He appeared to be holding a little trumpet in his hand, which she found rather odd before he stood upon the platform. It took him a moment for him to catch his breath, since all the running he did just to get here was enough to knock the wind out of him. No surprise, she noted, since he was rather small in size. After a moment, the rabbit used the trumpet to sound off a small, rather bleak fanfare, grabbing everyone's attention immediately.

"Court is now in session!" The rabbit proclaimed loudly, clearly still out of breath as he spoke.

The girl was the first to speak as she was quick to ask, "I'm on trial? But why?"

Zaria's gaze narrowed upon hearing that. Why on earth would she be on trial, and for what reason? She was just a little girl, after all. It was hard to believe someone who sounded so polite could have done anything wrong. However, she pushed that thought out of her mind; it would not have been the first time she made that assumption.

The rabbit seemingly ignored her question as he went on.

"Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding!"

When those words escaped him, Zaria immediately looked toward the judge's seat where the supposed Queen of Hearts resided. The Queen was a rather large looking woman with a round nose, gold earnings, and a small golden crown sitting atop her head. Her hair was black and kept back in a tight bun, though it was evident that a few strands that were her bangs stood out from the clean look. She appeared to be dressed in royal attire, the color scheme being black, red, and white similar to the card guards that stood nearby. The left side of her dress appeared to have a short, black sleeve with a red cuff and a red abdomen, while the right side seemed to be the same only with the colors inverted: red sleeve, black cuff, and black abdomen. The white collar around her neck was tall enough to reach her ears, seemingly a bit much but Zaria paid no mind to it. She also appeared to be carrying around a small wand with what seemed like a red heart at the tip of it.

It was at upon hearing the rabbit proclaim that the Queen was presiding over the court that Zaria realized that something about this trial was very, very wrong. Unbeknownst to her, Sora was thinking the same thing she was, and the look on his face made that very clear.

"This girl is the culprit," the Queen began to speak. "There's no doubt about it."

 _Oh boy..._ Zaria could not help but think to herself, but kept her mouth shut as the Queen went on.

"And the reason is...because I say so, that's why!" She proclaimed as if she had all the answers laid out in front of her.

"That is so unfair!" The young girl argued quickly. Despite what was happening, she sounded rather calm and remained polite to the rather wicked queen.

"Well," the Queen began, her tone changing instantly into a sweeter tone despite her previous words and mannerisms, "have you anything to say in your defense?" The way she spoke only gave away that she did not seem to care about what the girl was about to say, but she still gave her a chance nonetheless. How...nice of her.

"Of course!" The girl responded, crossing her arms over her chest and puffing out her chest a bit. "I've done absolutely nothing wrong!" Clearly, she was not afraid to stand up for herself, which Zaria admired, but she could not help but notice the rabbit looking between the girl and the Queen with a rather frightened looking expression. "You may be queen, but I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so...so mean!"

"Little girl..." The Queen spoke slowly moments before she slammed her fists on the wood, frightening the girl and causing her to step back. "Are you intentionally attempting to anger me?"

Zaria began to frown at the exchange that was taking place before her eyes, knowing exactly what was going on before anyone could even explain it. Apparently, it was a trial going south at an alarmingly fast pace, and no one seemed to care other than the girl standing trial. The Queen was accusing the girl of some crime that no one in the group knew up for the sake of pointing fingers, or as the Queen stated, "because she said so." There was no hard evidence to prove that the girl did anything wrong to anger the Queen, but at the same time, there was no proof that she did not do it, either. However, regardless of what the outcome turned out to be, Zaria knew there was nothing to be done. She knew the rules, unfortunately, and that involved not meddling with the affairs of worlds like Wonderland, no matter how much she disagreed or wished to assist. Despite having the desire to stand by that girl's side and defend her vehemently, setting off the balance was the last thing she wanted to do.

Unfortunately, for Zaria, someone in the group seemed to have the same thinking, only he did not have the same knowledge she did.

"Hey, guys," Sora immediately spoke up, his gaze fixated on what was happening, "we should help her out."

Zaria sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Oh boy..." She could not help but mutter out loud. Sora, however, did not look at her, and he only remained focused on what was going on.

"Yeah, but..." Donald started but was soon interrupted by Goofy.

"We're outsiders," he pointed out, "so wouldn't that be muddling?"

"Meddling!" Donald corrected him, earning a look from Goofy.

"Oh, yeah!" He responded before chuckling. "And that's against the rules."

As he spoke, Sora turned his head to one side, his face visibly showing that he was deep in thought.

"But..." He started but did not finish his sentence.

Zaria noticed this and turned to face him. She did not like that look in the slightest, and she had a feeling she knew what was going through his head.

"Listen, Sora," she started to explain to him, "I get that this trial is turning into a rather miserable situation for her. I do." She gestured to Goofy. "But Goofy is right. It's not safe to be meddling in the affairs of other worlds, and there's a good reason for that." She looked ahead. "So, we're better off trying to sneak past these guards and move on in search of...what's important."

Sora did not respond to Zaria's hesitation toward the end of her sentence as he straightened his head, keeping his gaze focused on the trial at hand. She did not mean to do so, but hearing what she said made her feel uncomfortable, and she accidentally let it slip through her voice. Instead of focusing on that, however, she returned her attention to the trial, crossing her arms over her chest, just as the Queen began to speak once more.

"I find the defendant, Alice," she began to announce, " _guilty as charged!_ " The decision came as no surprise, but the girl, whom the Queen referred to as Alice, still gasped in surprise.

"How can you..." She started but trailed off due to her state of shock.

"For the crimes of assault," the Queen went on to speak, ignoring Alice's horrified look, "and attempted theft of my heart..." Sora gasped at those words before his expression changed to a look of anger, while Zaria scrunched her nose and grimaced uncomfortably. "Off with her head!"

Within moments of her giving the command, the card guards immediately turned toward the girl simultaneously, brandishing their weapons and ready to follow the Queen's orders without hesitation or remorse. The girl immediately began to plead for her life, but it was clear that the decision was already set in stone. The Queen had no plans of changing her mind much to her dismay. For Sora, however, it was a different story. Whether it was against the rules or not, he had to do something to save her, even if it meant...

"Hold it right there!" He quickly shouted out, running forward and entering the court room scene before anyone had time to react. Everyone that presided turned to look in his direction, while the four he left behind watched in utter surprise.

"Ah, jeez," Donald grumbled as he and Goofy chased after him.

"Are you kidding me?!" Zaria snapped, dropping her arms to her side and shooting Sora an enraged glare.

"What is he doing?!" Dimitri exclaimed before he quickly hid away in her bag.

"Getting us in trouble, that's what," she hissed angrily as she pulled her hood over her head and chased after them. Sora was going to get an earful the moment they got out of there.

"And what manner of creature are you, scum?!" The Queen questioned angrily as she rose from her seat, as they all approached the stand. "How dare you interfere with my court?! Mannerless, the lot of you!"

Zaria kept her teeth clenched at those words. They were already in enough hot water as it was, and making any comments would only make it worse.

"Excuse me," Sora began to speak, sounding much more polite and calm than the Queen, "but we know who the real culprit is!"

From underneath her hood, Zaria's eyes widened as she looked at him. She prayed to whatever being existed that he would tell the Queen who he thought was responsible, especially when many rules were being broken already. However, instead of hearing it from him, Goofy suddenly chimed in.

"Ahyuk. It's the Heartle-ngu!" He was about to say it seconds before Donald quickly intervened by throwing his hands over his comrade's mouth and silencing him. Zaria quickly shot a look to them, but when she realized what happened, she turned back and sighed.

"What a shit show," she grumbled under her breath.

"Anyway," Sora continued, returning his attention to the Queen, "she's not the one you're looking for!"

"Hogwash!" She retorted, tapping her wand impatiently. Fortunately, she did not question what Goofy was about to say, much to their relief. "Have you any proof?"

"Er..." Sora hesitated, reeling back upon hearing those words, as Zaria slowly sent him the coldest stare he had even seen.

"Yeah, Sora," Zaria hissed in a low voice, sending a chill down his spine. No doubt she was beyond upset, but she was holding it back so as to look professional. " _Do you have proof?_ "

Instead of looking at her, Sora continued to shift his eyes nervously.

"I'm workin' on that..." He replied, both to the Queen and to Zaria.

Before they knew it, the Queen suddenly ordered for Alice to be locked in a nearby cage with a card guard standing close by for added protection. There was nothing that could be done to help her at that point.

"Very well," the Queen began to speak once more, "I shall humor your claim." She gestured toward Alice with her wand. "Bring me evidence of Alice's innocence! Fail," she pointed toward the group, "and it's off with ALL of your heads!"

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Zaria muttered under breath, placing a hand on her face while moving the other to her hip.

"Until you conclude your investigations," the Queen went on right before she slammed the end of her wand on the wood, "the court is adjourned!"

* * *

"Have you lost your damn mind?!" Zaria finally turned and snapped at Sora, pulling her hood back and revealing her face once more. The anger she held back finally began to show itself after what seemed like an eternity of being locked away, and she was not going to waste it. "You are beyond lucky I held back the urge to slap you when I had the chance!"

After everything had settled within the court, the group had now entered into the woods nearby where Alice had informed them of going to after they admitted they had no idea where to start. According to what she had told them, there was a creature known simply as the "Cheshire Cat" who may have resided in those woods, and he may have had a clue as to where they could find the evidence to prove her innocence and set her free. Unfortunately for them, there was nothing else they could learn from her about who the cat was or what they could expect from him, as the card guard that was there shut the curtains and hid her away from sight. There was not much that could have been done to help her at that point, so they were forced to take their leave and began their search for the mysterious cat. For Zaria, however, entering the woods where they were far enough from everyone else was the perfect time to release her seething anger on Sora for the situation they were forced to be in.

Already anticipating her lashing out against him, Sora did not flinch or resort to shouting back. She had every to be angry, so allowing her to release that pent up anger was probably for the best.

"Can't we just tell 'em it was those bastard Heartless that did it?" He questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. It was more of a general question to everyone, but his gaze remained on her as she mirrored his actions and continued to glare at him. "It's not like we aren't meddling or anything, messing about with that queen lady's court and all."

"LET'S NOT!" Zaria and Donald shouted simultaneously. Sora flinched upon that reaction as he was not anticipating such a quick and harsh response from the two.

"Every world is defined by its particular boundaries," Donald explained to Sora. "Within which some understanding of reality emerges as truth."

"Two truths cannot coexist," Zaria went on, her tone becoming much calmer but her glare remaining evident, "and so from the introduction of foreign bodies is conflict and chaos spawned." Her gaze hardened at Sora, who seemed to be taking in the information. " _That's_ why we limit our involvement in local affairs. You know, instead of throwing ourselves headfirst into one, _like some people_."

Sheepishly, Sora began scratching the back of his head, but before he could say anything in response, an unfamiliar voice spoke up instead.

"You speak the truth?" It said. The group looked around in search of the voice, though all they could see was giant mushrooms and flowers surrounding them. "I pose that the untruth of this truth upon truths holds truer."

"What the...?" Zaria mumbled, inching closer to summoning her Keyblade. What kind of speech was that?

Before anyone had the chance to speak Sora looked over Zaria's shoulder, only just barely to catch glimpse of...a floating, grinning cat head? His brows furrowed in confusion, but it was not long before that same cat head reappeared in a few different spots. Eventually, it settled down on a nearby tree stump, though instead of just the head, the rest of the bizarre, rotund looking body appeared along with it, balancing on the head without so much as a care in the world. The group stared in surprise as the cat's body picked up his head and returned it to its original position, his ever-present grin remaining on his face. Appearance wise, his fur was striped purple and pink but stopped at his wrists and ankles which were light pink color. Its mouth and tip of its tail were the same color as well. The hands and feet appeared to have opposable thumbs, which seemed out of place for a cat, and each of his three digits had short, black claws. Its eyebrows were dark and perpetually raised at all times, and its eyes were yellow. Its nose was a dark rose color, and its grey whiskers – six in total, three on either side – appeared to be off-center from its follicles.

"This place just keeps on getting more weird by the second," Zaria muttered to herself. "And I'm _not_ okay with that..."

"Who are you?" Donald questioned immediately.

Zaria looked at him almost immediately, looking at him with a deadpanned expression. _I thought it was obvious..._ She could not help but think. No doubt that the strange creature was the one Alice had mentioned to them before their departure: the Cheshire Cat.

"Who, indeed?" The cat questioned back, his grin remaining present on his face. His response lead to Zaria looking back at him, a bewildered look now forming on her face. He was supposed to be the Cheshire Cat...right? "Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing!"

Sora perked up at that and quickly stepped forward.

"Hey, if you know who the culprit is, tell us!" He commanded though it sounded much more like pleading.

"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers," the cat explained, "but doesn't always tell."

Zaria glared at the cat, already fed up with the riddles, before stepping forward herself.

"We really don't have time to listen to your riddles or play any games, cat," she spoke up, placing a hand on her hip. "Alice is about to lose her head over a crime she didn't commit, and you know this." The cat looked at her, his unnerving expression still unchanged. "So, if you could just point us in the right direction, we can-"

Zaria was cut off by the cat suddenly tossing an object her way, to which she nearly missed but successfully caught it. She would have scolded him for interrupting her, but instead, she looked down to see that he had tossed over a small pink box. She was unsure as to what to make of it, so she looked back at the cat with a questioning look in her blue eyes.

"Here you go," he said to her in an almost sweet manner. Evidently, asking him to help was easier than they anticipated, which only confused Zaria even more. "Within the box, there lives perhaps the truth you seek..." She looked back at the box as Sora and the others approached her, looking at the object as well. "...Or perhaps there lives not?" When they looked back at him, the group watched as the cat suddenly began to disappear into nothing. "To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide..."

With that said and done, he was gone, leaving the group alone to their thoughts once more.

"He vanished..." Dimitri could not help but mutter in awe.

"Doesn't look very trustworthy to me..." Donald commented, glaring at the spot where the cat once stood, while the others continued to inspect the box.

"Say," Sora spoke again, pointing to the box before looking at Zaria, "what do you suppose is inside?"

Zaria stared at the box for a long moment, contemplating that question, before looking at him and handing it over to him.

"Why don't you try and find out?" She suggested, her expression remaining blank. Sora stared back her as well, his face mirroring hers, and he stayed silent. After a moment, her eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed. "What?"

"I think you should open it," he stated calmly.

"What?" She exclaimed, raising a brow. "Why me? You're the one that asked what's in it!"

"Yeah..." He replied, slowly looking away, "but I _did_ drink that shrinking thing first." He glanced back at her and smiled, though it was evident as to what he was trying to do. "Besides, we're all curious as to what's inside of it, so I think you should be the one to open it."

"You know, he does have a point," Dimitri said, glancing at her with a smile of his own.

Zaria sent the creature a harsh look.

"Great, now _you're_ turning on me," she sneered at his comment. Instead of responding, he smiled warmly at her. It was evident as to what he was doing, and she did not like it. After a moment of glaring, she groaned. "Fine, I'll open it. If it makes you all happy."

Cautiously, she placed her hand on top of the box, lifting the lid slowly and taking a peek inside of it. At first, it did not seem like anything was in the box, leading Zaria to believe that the cat was toying with them. Certainly would have come as a surprise if that happened to be the case. Unfortunately, it was that thought that caused her to toss off the lid, only to scream and drop the box as a Heartless – a Knight, no less – leaped out of it.

"Are you kidding me?!" Zaria shouted, nearly falling backward over the events that were taking place.

"It's a Heartless!" Sora exclaimed, summoning his Keyblade as the Heartless landed in front of them.

"Oh, really?!" Zaria snapped sarcastically as she summoned hers. "How could you tell?!" Before anyone could respond, the Heartless sprinted into the direction where the court resided, leaving the group behind. Zaria growled. "You're not going anywhere, you shit! Come on!" She shouted before immediately sprinting after it, weapon held tightly in hand.

"Zaria, wait!" Sora called as he, Donald, and Goofy followed after her as quickly as possible.

In her head, and to answer a question she asked herself seemingly ages ago, Zaria was wrong. Things were certainly getting worse for everyone, far worse than she originally anticipated, and she certainly did not like it. Not one bit.


	14. A Familiar Voice

"What in the world was that?" The Queen of Hearts exclaimed after witnessing Zaria running back into the court scene, hot on the heel of the Knight Heartless as it bounded passed the card guards. "Mannerless!"

Zaria chose to ignore the last comment, fed up with her as it was, as she abruptly took a swing at the Heartless. Unfortunately, she missed it by a few centimeters right before watching it leap into the air. The frustration she had boiled over at that point, and she was not going to let someone like her be another nuisance. She watched briefly as the Knight leaped toward the Queen, preparing to strike at her and claim her heart, before jumping after it.

"There's your evidence, Miss Queen!" She heard Sora call out to her but kept her focus on the Heartless as she raised her Keyblade above her head.

"And watch out!" Zaria shouted moments later before bringing her weapon down onto the Heartless, landing a direct hit before any damage was done.

The Queen cried out in terror, horrified that the creature was about to attack, but it did not take long for her to realize that she had been spared. By then, the Heartless had vanished, and Zaria was back on her feet. Sora, Donald, and Goofy rushed to her side as she stood back up, brushing away the imaginary dust from her clothing. It was evident from the look in her eyes that she was still annoyed over what happened, but she was equally pleased that she did not allow it to escape from her. The Queen may have been annoying, but it was not an excuse to let a Heartless steal her heart.

Before Sora could speak up and make sure she was okay, he suddenly noticed a strange glint of light appear from the corner of his eye, catching his attention instantly. Upon investigating further, he looked down to see Zaria's Keyblade shimmering for just a moment before it vanished completely. He blinked in slight surprise at the sight, but he chose not to talk about it right then and there. He was unsure if that was supposed to happen or if it was something he was not meant to mention when people from another world were surrounding them. Either way, he was genuinely curious about the sight he had witnessed.

Zaria looked back up at the Queen of Hearts, who had taken a moment to relax after the incident and glared at her.

"There you have it," she spoke frustratedly, placing her free hand on her side. "Still think Alice is the culprit now?"

The Queen, despite knowing that her life had been spared by the group, suddenly became enraged. Evidently, she did not appreciate Zaria's tone and was not going to stand for it any longer.

"Silence! I'm the law here!" She roared, slamming her fists into wood.

The group looked at her oddly, confused by the words she spoke.

"I don't like the sound of that," Dimitri muttered as he shrank back, keeping his grip on Zaria's shoulder as his ears fell back nervously.

"Article 29: Anyone who defies the queen is _guilty_!" The Queen went on to proclaim.

The words shocked the group, though Zaria seemed to be the only one who was left visibly angered.

"Bull!" She snapped at her.

"That's crazy!" Donald agreed, waving his arms and jumping furiously over those words.

"We gave you proof of Alice's innocence _and_ saved your life, you hag!" Zaria shouted at her. "Now, keep your end of the deal and release her at once!"

"Miss Zaria, don't say that!" Dimitri quietly exclaimed. "You're only going to upset her even more than she already is!" Zaria merely glanced at the animal companion, keeping the same angered look she had given to the Queen moments ago. Upon seeing this, Dimitri sighed and crawled into her bag. "I'm not going to like this one bit, am I?" He muttered as he disappeared from sight.

"Seize them at once!" The Queen commanded her guards. "Teach them that defying this 'hag' is going to cost them their heads!"

Before they had a chance to react to what she had said, the group was instantly surrounded by the card guards and quickly prepared for another battle. The area around them seemed to change drastically as well, with the Queen's judge stand dropping closer to the ground while the staircase and jury stand disappeared in a puff of smoke. A short distance away appeared an odd looking tower with three wheels on each side of it. Zaria looked over and watched as one of the guards ran over to it and began turning one of the wheels. A loud clanging sound was heard moments later, causing the group to look over and spot Alice's cage rising high above the ground, still shrouded behind the red curtain and preventing her from seeing what was happening on the outside.

It was going to be an all-out brawl, Zaria realized, and it was not going to be pretty. However, she had a plan in mind upon seeing the tower.

"Guys, listen up," she spoke to the others in a small voice, so the guards did not hear her. They looked over their shoulders at her and listened carefully. "That tower over there is what's keeping Alice out of our reach. The best option we have is to release the mechanism that's keeping her up there and escape into the forest."

"How do we do that?" Sora questioned, returning his attention to the guards that were slowly approaching them with their weapons in hand.

Zaria thought for a moment before looking at Sora.

"You and I will take care of these guards and hold them off for as long as possible," she explained. She, then, looked to Donald and Goofy. "Donald, Goofy, while we're fighting them, you guys can handle the tower and bring Alice back down. Defend yourself if you have to."

Goofy looked around nervously as he raised his shield a bit higher.

"Gawrsh, there sure are a lot of them. Do you think we'll manage?" He asked her.

"Of course we can, Goofy!" Donald chimed in, holding his wand close. "If we could beat that giant Heartless in Traverse Town, then we can handle this, too!"

Zaria could not help but smirk as she focused her attention back on the guards, holding her Keyblade tightly in front of her.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," she commented. "Now, let's go!"

The moment the command left her lips, the plan was in action. Sora and Zaria were quick to face off against the card guards, dodging and blocking their attacks with ease before knocking them out, while Donald and Goofy raced toward the tower as quickly as possible. Since they were not much of a threat, they found no reason to kill them, instead opting to resort to knocking them unconscious temporarily. Oddly enough, the guards were much easier to take down than Zaria had initially believed as she slashed at them and knocked them out with only a few hits. The realization made her pause briefly, seemingly confused at the sight. If they were that easy to defeat, then it was possible that a change of plans was in order. However, before she could think of another plan of attack, Zaria watched as the ones she had defeated suddenly rose to their feet after taking a short time to recover. The sight left Zaria surprised, but she wasted little time in getting back into the action. They may have appeared to be weak on the outside, but if they were able to take hit after hit and still manage to get up time and time again, they were in for a lot more trouble than they thought.

At the tower, Donald and Goofy were fortunate to only deal with one or two of the guards, and they were quick to begin the process of bringing down Alice's cage little by little. It was going smoothly at first, having finished with one lever, before they realized that the guards they had beaten down were right back on their feet and chasing after them once again.

"What?!" Donald exclaimed in shock. "But I clobbered them over the head! How are they getting back up so quickly?!"

"Ahyuk, they must be a lot tougher than we thought, Donald," Goofy pointed out. He looked over at Sora and Zaria briefly, a nervous look on his face. "I sure hope they're okay over there."

Donald shook his head and looked at Goofy again.

"They'll be fine!" He barked at his comrade. "Don't worry about those two and just keep spinning!" He ordered before turning to the guards once more, holding his wand in front of him. "I'll keep these guys busy!"

Without another word, Goofy continued to work on the tower as quickly as possible as Donald shot a few fireballs in the direction of the guards, keeping them occupied and away from the tower for as long as possible. Despite what he had said to Goofy, though, even he was worried about Sora and Zaria's predicament. If these guards were capable of getting up so fast, then there was no telling how long they would last before they became exhausted.

Meanwhile, Sora had beaten down a few more enemies as easily as Zaria had done moments ago, but he did not have the opportunity to go and assist her before more guards began rising to their feet again. He was certain some of them had already been knocked out several times by that point, but it was hard to tell which ones they were with the amount that continued to attack them. Frustrated, the only thing he could do was beat them back again for as long as he possibly could. After all, he had to make sure they were too preoccupied with him and Zaria to give Donald and Goofy just enough time to rescue Alice.

Unfortunately, after some time, Sora started to grow more tired the longer he continued to fight, feeling exhausted from swinging his weapon so much. It had gotten to the point where it was harder to raise his Keyblade to defend himself, feeling like he was carrying a ton of bricks. Much to his dismay, he was forced to dodge the attacks from the guards and leap back, hoping that it would be enough of a distraction to keep the plan going. Eventually, while he was stepping back, his back suddenly collided with Zaria's, causing him to look over his shoulder quickly to see if she was doing okay. However, the moment he laid eyes on her, a mixture of confusion and concern passed over him as he noticed Zaria's eyes appeared to be wider than normal. It was almost as if she had suddenly become anxious over the fact that they were still surrounded, but it was tough to tell. She fidgeted with her grip on her Keyblade, though it was clear that she was doing okay. Still, the look in her eyes worried Sora.

"Are you okay?" He quickly asked her. "You look really nervous about something."

It took Zaria a moment to respond as her eyes darted about the area quickly, almost as if she were searching for something.

"Something doesn't feel right..." She muttered her answer, though it sounded like it was more to herself while keeping her eyes on everything else except for Sora. "Something's wrong..."

Sora's brows furrowed.

"What is it?"

Zaria did not respond this time. Instead, a horrified look crossed her paling features as her head spun toward the cage holding Alice. Sora did the same thing, hoping to see what she was looking at, only to find himself looking at the cage as well. It did not appear as if anything had changed since they last saw it, and Sora was left utterly bewildered because of it. Zaria, on the other hand, did not share his feelings. She still appeared to have a terrified expression on her face as she continued to stare at it.

"Something's wrong with Alice!" She suddenly shouted in a desperate tone, causing Sora to jump in surprise. Zaria spun her head toward the tower where Donald and Goofy resided, catching sight of the two now having difficulties with some of the guards as more of them had begun to realize what was going on. Sora was quick to do the same as she called out, "Donald! Goofy! Get away from the tower! We're out of time!"

"W-wait, what?" Sora exclaimed as he looked at her. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Zaria did not respond at first, waiting patiently as Donald and Goofy, after hearing her command, quickly ran from the tower. Inhaling deeply, Zaria glanced at Sora.

"Stand back," she ordered as she raised her Keyblade above her, pointing at the sky, while her eyes remained focused on the tower itself.

"Get her, you fools!" The Queen shouted an order and pointed to Zaria with her wand, to which the guards were quick to respond. "Don't let her destroy that tower!"

Unfortunately for them, it was already too late to stop what was happening. In a matter of seconds, a quick spark of electricity shot through Zaria's Keyblade, as if charging it for an attack. When he realized what she was about to do, Sora immediately leaped back, ignoring the guards that suddenly ran toward Zaria all at once, and watched as Zaria became surrounded.

Before she could be captured, Zaria shouted her command: " _Thundara!_ "

The moment the command escaped her lips, electricity, once again, shot through the blade and up into the sky. The intensity of the attack was enough to push back the guards and render them powerless against her. Moments later, the bolt reappeared from the sky and landed directly above the tower itself. The impact was just enough for the shock to destroy it in one go, exploding into pieces and turning to dust and ashes. The attack left Sora surprised, staring in awe over what used to be the tower that Donald and Goofy were standing by moments ago. He had seen Donald use his magic during the Heartless battle in Traverse Town, burning and freezing his opponents with ease, but he had never seen him do anything that. It appeared to be rather powerful, stronger than what he had seen thus far, and he was surprised that Zaria was capable of pulling it off so quickly and without breaking a sweat.

Unfortunately, he had spoken a little too soon as he watched Zaria suddenly collapse to her knees, catching herself with her Keyblade before she could hit the ground.

"Zaria!" He called out, preparing to run up to and assist her.

Before he could do that, Zaria quickly turned her head to him, eyes still widened with anxiety.

"Alice!" She shouted at him. Sora blinked, confused by her calling Alice's name. She, then, pointed behind him. "Don't worry about me! Something's wrong with Alice!"

Realization hit him instantly as Sora nodded once, turned on his heel, and ran toward the cage. To his surprise, the destruction of the tower was enough to sever the mechanism and lower the cage to ground level once again. He ran up to it just as the curtain had begun turning away, preparing himself to finally see Alice once again and free her from the Queen's imprisonment for good. However, relief instantly turned into shock as the curtain pulled away to reveal nothing but emptiness. There was no sign of the imprisoned Alice residing in the cage. She had gone missing.

"Alice?" Sora quietly called out, wondering if it was some trick on the eyes. Unfortunately, he heard no reply, and he did not see her walk out of the shade to reveal herself. "She's...gone...?"

"N-no..." Sora looked over to find a weakened Zaria approaching him along with Donald and Goofy, who remained close by just in case she needed assistance. Her arm was around her waist, and she appeared drained from the attack, yet her gaze remained on the empty cage where Alice once stood. "I was...right...?"

"By Jove, she's gone!" The Queen roared with rage over the discovery. "Alice has vanished!"

"But..." Zaria muttered out loud, her face falling in defeat as shock filled her eyes. "But how?"

The Queen quickly turned to the card guards, who were just as surprised to find Alice missing and stood there in shock.

"Stand to attention, men!" She ordered them. Everyone excluding Zaria looked up at her. "The defendant has escaped custody and remains at large!"

Sora could not help but narrow his eyes in confusion over the Queen's choice of words.

"But...we proved her innocence, didn't we?" He asked the others in silence. Donald and Goofy shrugged, seemingly just as baffled as Sora was, while Zaria did not respond. She remained silent and continued to stare at the floor.

"I order that an open bounty be offered for her immediate recapture!" The Queen continued to shout at everyone.

"Fellows look a bit agitated, don't they?" Donald quietly pointed out, only earning an "Ahyuk" from Goofy while Sora and Zaria remained silent.

"Should you fail..." They heard the Queen continue once more before jumping as she slammed her fist onto the wood of the judge's stand. "OFF WITH ALL YOUR HEADS!"

Without even missing a beat, Sora quickly grabbed a frozen Zaria by her hand and pulled her along, followed by Donald and Goofy, as they raced to the woods before the Queen started sending her guards after them again. They had no time to lose, and they were certainly not going to stay there any longer than they had to.

* * *

"That queen lady's totally nutzoid!" Sora proclaimed as the four walked through the forest once more, pushing passed the towering blades of grass and large logs along the way. Donald and Goofy were quick to agree with him, while Zaria continued to remain quiet. Her face gave away that she was in an entirely different place, her mind wandering to unknown places, yet the others had yet to pick up on it. Dimitri, however, did catch this, but he decided not to say anything as he continued to listen to the conversation. It was hard to speak to her when she was deep in thought about something, and he was sure she would speak up later.

"I tell ya," Donald chimed in, "the whole kidnapping plot smells of Heartless involvement..."

Sora looked at Donald with a confused look.

"How does that work, though?" He inquired. "We really haven't seen them do anything besides attack people so far. Are they even smart enough to pull off something like this?"

Donald began to scratch his chin in thought while Zaria slowly turned her head to look at them, seemingly listening to what was going on now, yet her expression remained blank.

"I got a hunch that something's afoot," the magician stated. "There's a decent chance that the Heartless aren't simply acting at random. "Seems to me that something might be manipulating them...something _evil_."

"The question still remains, though," Dimitri spoke up. "Who exactly are they, and what would they want with an innocent girl like Alice?" His ears fell back as a look of worry crossed his features. "I just hope she's all right and nothing serious has happened to her."

Sora nodded in agreement, but instead of making any further comments on the subject, he turned his attention to Zaria, who had turned her head away from the others and merely watched her moving feet. He looked back at the battle that had taken place and suddenly began to wonder about something that had been bugging him the entire time that they had entered the forest.

Before the fight itself, Sora remembered that he could have sworn Zaria's Keyblade was shimmering after she destroyed the Heartless that almost attacked the Queen. It could have been his imagination, his mind playing tricks on him or even the world itself, but Sora was confident that had been the case. To his surprise, Zaria either did not seem to notice it happen or did not appear to care, as she kept her focus on the Queen. For Sora, however, he could not help but wonder why it did that. It had to have been caused by the defeat of the Heartless, but it did not answer the question of why it happened in the first place. He figured that, since they were out of harm's way, now would be a better time than any to inquire about it. After all, there was still a lot about Zaria that he did not know or understand, and he was willing to learn to better the team and make her feel more welcomed within the group.

After a moment, Sora inhaled deeply. It was now or never, he supposed.

"Hey, Zaria?" He finally found his voice and called her.

Upon hearing her name, Zaria slowly glanced at the brown-haired boy, blinking her blue eyes once as she looked at him with nothing but a blank stare.

"Hm?" She responded shortly after. She appeared to be a bit distracted still, but Sora paid no mind to that.

"I wanted to ask you something," he started. "It's about your Keyblade."

Zaria blinked again.

"Okay," she said slowly. "What about it?"

Sora looked away, returning his gaze forward.

"Well, when you destroyed that Heartless back there, the one that attacked the queen lady..." He paused for thought. "Well, I'm not sure if I'm seeing things, but I could have sworn that it was glowing." Zaria blinked again, yet remained silent as Sora looked back at her. She did not seem surprised or shocked that he asked that question. "Maybe it's just me, but...does it do that when you destroy Heartless?"

"Gawrsh, you saw that too, Sora?" Goofy asked, a look of surprise crossing over him. "I thought I was just seeing things, too."

"Huh, I guess we all didn't miss that," Donald chimed in as well, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at Zaria. "What's that all about? Is it supposed to do that or what?"

It did not take long for Zaria to look forward, taking a moment to think about what she wanted to say, before looking back at them. At first, she appeared to contemplate explaining if what they saw was real or a figment of their imagination, but when she looked back at them, Sora realized that she was going to be honest. The look in her eyes gave it away before she even began to speak.

"Yeah, it does that," she answered simply. The way she spoke sounded like she was a bit distracted by something, but it was hard to tell what it was and why.

"Why?" Donald pressed, keeping a questioning look as he continued to look up at her.

Zaria looked down at him for a moment before looking forward again.

"It's an ability that my Keyblade has," she explained, shoving her hands into her pockets absently. "An ability that...I don't want to explain right now."

Sora raised a curious brow at that.

"You don't wanna explain it?" He inquired, earning a swift nod from Zaria.

Donald turned his chin to the sky suspiciously.

"What? Is it too complicated to explain to us?" He questioned.

Zaria contemplated the thought before shrugging.

"No, not really," she replied coolly. "It's just that..." Her eyes suddenly began shifting in an almost sensitive manner. "I just...don't know if I'm prepared to explain that part just yet." She glanced at them. "After all, I barely know any of you, so I don't think it's best to try and talk about something like that with you three."

"What?!" Donald snapped as he glared at her. "How can you not trust us?"

Zaria's eyes shifted again, unfazed by the magician's outburst, as she muttered, "Reasons."

"That's not an answer!"

"It is for now."

"Why you-!"

"Alas," a soothing voice suddenly appeared from all around them, catching them by surprise, "having found the evidence you sought, you now seek the defendant you lost?" When they looked forward in search of the source, everyone excluding Zaria jumped in surprise after finding the ever-so-mysterious Cheshire Cat hanging by his tail in a tree. His grin remained visible on his face just like before. "Poor Alice..." He went on to say while the others calmed themselves when they realized there was no imminent danger.

Confused, Sora could only respond, "Uh, yeah. You've seen her at all?"

"Alice, no." The cat responded quickly. "Shadows, yes!"

A frown formed on Zaria's lips while Goofy asked, "Where did they go?"

The cat pretended to think for a moment, glancing upward at the ground and keeping his grin present.

"This way? That way? Does it matter?" He answered. Zaria growled at that. There he went again with his riddles. "Left, right, up, down! All mixed up thanks to the shadows!"

"Quit talking in circles!" Zaria finally snapped, frustrated by the cat already. "Can you just answer our question so we can go?"

The cat quickly looked at her, his smile never faltering, as he chuckled.

"The cat, the culprit, and the answer, do all in darkness lie," he said in response. Zaria's eyes narrowed harshly, though she was just as confused by his words as the others. Then, the cat floated out of the tree and stood on the branch, leaning against the tree trunk with one paw. "I shall show what shadows lurk in the heart of the world."

The group exchanged glances, bewildered by the cat's words.

"I don't like the sound of that," Zaria grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sora looked over at her.

"Neither do I," he agreed, "but if it'll help with finding Alice, maybe it's worth following him?" Zaria glanced at him with a disapproving gaze, yet she said nothing as she looked back at the cat. She did not like the idea, but open bounty or not, finding Alice was their first priority. Her silence was her way of allowing him to take the lead, and he seized the opportunity by looking back at the cat as well. "All right, then. Lead the way."

Pleased with the response, the cat gestured for them to follow before floating on ahead. The four silently followed after the creature with Sora taking the lead while Donald and Goofy trailed behind. Zaria was the last to walk after them, a choice that would have been considered odd were they not hunting for the missing Alice. However, she preferred it that way as her mind began to wander once again.

It went back to the battle at the court once more, looking back on the events that lead to the discovery of Alice's disappearance. The incident was seemingly brief, but for Zaria, it felt much longer. In the middle of the fight, she suddenly felt like the world around her was spinning. She felt anxious, worried that there was some danger unlike anything she had ever seen. She fidgeted with her grip on her Keyblade, her widened eyes darted around the area, and she could not help but wonder what was happening and why she was feeling the way she did. Something was very wrong; she felt it in her heart, but she could not put her finger on what it was and where it had come.

That was before she heard a voice speak loud and clear, a voice that she had not heard for a long time yet recognized almost immediately...

"Protect her _._ "

Much to her surprise, Zaria realized it sounded like the voice of that mysterious woman. It was the same woman she had spoken with in her dream back on Destiny Islands. She had not seen or heard from her in far too long, believing it to be one of her many dreams that she was bound to forget about, so hearing that woman's voice again caught her by surprise. Unfortunately, it did not sound like the woman intended to have a conversation with Zaria this time, but rather relay that simple message. It was one that left Zaria even more anxious than before, but that was moments before it dawned on her. The woman was referring to Alice, telling Zaria that Alice was in danger and that she had to "protect her." It was why Zaria suddenly reacted in such a quick and, in her mind, brutish manner, striking and destroying the tower with a powerful thunder attack without batting an eye or taking a moment to rationalize what she was about to do. For some reason, Zaria had the sudden and most unquenchable desire to toss everything else aside and focus on saving the young girl, almost as if her life had depended on it. She worried so little about well-being that she even resorted to using a magic attack that she knew she had yet to handle without collapsing moments later. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, she was incapable of saving Alice; she had failed to protect someone from the Heartless. It left her feeling terrible.

After a moment, she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, scratching her scalp a bit. Things were starting to become even more strange, though Zaria was certain it was not because of the world they resided in. Instead, it was something else, something that lingered outside the boundaries of Wonderland. What that could have been, however, was unknown, and she feared that the answer would come much sooner than later.


	15. Surprise Attack

Following after the mysterious Cheshire Cat was probably one of the many things that Zaria was not okay with doing. Despite following everyone else's lead in silence, she was certain that the cat was up to something. The manner in which he spoke - full of riddles and leading them in circles - was just one of the few reasons she had that made her distrust him in every regard. The perpetual smile on his face, his calm and relaxed mannerisms, and the fact that he seemed to lack the ability to care about the well-being of others were just a few more. The sheer fact that she agreed to follow along with wherever the cat was taking them made her feel uneasy. If they were not searching for the missing Alice, she would have turned tail and ran in the other direction, leaving behind the others as they continued on with an unknown fate.

However, she had an obligation, and the woman's voice telling her to protect Alice seemed to keep her going regardless of her true feelings.

The Cheshire cat lead them to many new and strange locations. One such place happened to be a weird looking setting fit for a tea party. The table itself had been set up to seat an entire family, and there was even a giant cake set in the center as well. However, instead of sitting down to enjoy themselves, Zaria made the three continue forward.

"Come on, Zaria, it's just a tea party!" Sora whined when she tried to leave, pointing to the table and pouting. "What's the worst thing that could happen?"

Zaria sent him a light glare.

"Well, considering the fact there's no one around to enjoy the food," she began to explain, " _and_ considering that we only just ran into a Heartless, I think it's safe to say that we shouldn't trust anyone or anything that looks too good to be true." She looked forward. "Besides, the atmosphere feels off in this room. Best if we keep moving and keep an eye out for Alice."

As much as he did not want to leave, Sora agreed that she had a point. More so with the fact that they had to find Alice, but he did not want to argue with someone who had much more experience in the field than he did. Still, he was curious about what that cake tasted like.

They continued on to many other rooms around the world, each room being much more strange than the last, but after some time, they eventually came back to the room where the door knob continued to sleep. The Cheshire Cat seemed to appear on the table where the drinks resided, while Sora and the others were walking through the opening that lead to the courtroom. Nothing appeared to change, they realized, and it was just as they left it. Zaria, however, still felt really unsettled. Something about what they were doing did not sit well with her as if something was about to happen that they were not prepared for. She could not put her finger on it, and it started to bother her.

"Are you all right, Miss Zaria?" Dimitri spoke up, noticing the narrowed blue eyes of his human companion. "You seem a bit tense."

Zaria did not look at him as she replied, "Something isn't right again."

Dimitri blinked at that, but he was unable to say anything else as the cat called out, "Here, here!" The group began approaching the location where the cat resided as he continued. "Where? Patience, patience..."

Suddenly, his grin seemed to grow ever so slightly as he snapped his fingers. Moments later, the two lamps that resided on the ceiling high above them flickered to life, casting shadows on everything that resided beneath them. Zaria tensed up even more.

"Uh, oh..." She muttered, stopping in her tracks as she looked up. Sora and the others glanced at her for a moment before following her gaze.

"Have you heard?" The cat spoke once more, gazing down upon the group. Zaria could have sworn his smile turned sinister. "Where there is the brightest of flames, there is the darkest of shadows..." He chuckled as he leaned against an invisible wall as if he were relaxing. "Are you prepared for the worst?" He inquired. "If not, too bad!"

Suddenly, much to their horror, a giant Heartless appeared from behind the table, revealing itself to the four and towering over them. The creature looked rather bizarre: its legs appeared spindly that were red on the top and black on the bottom, its black arms greatly resembled and sound like that of paper, and its red body was very thin and small. The head of the monster, sporting gold highlights along with much of its upper body, consisted of several segments balanced on top of each other, each of which appeared to have a face of its own with glowing yellow eyes and jagged mouths. The colors alternated between red and black, a scheme that reminded them of the cards and Queen they had met some time ago. It also appeared to be wearing black armor with large, red shoulder pads coupled with a black codpiece. The feat appeared to be black, flat and curved upward at the tips.

The group stared up at the large Heartless with astonishment, and they were even more surprised when it started to juggle a pair of clubs with zig-zagging purple and lavender stripes on them. It was an ambush, and they had fallen right into its trap.

Zaria's anger had boiled over to a whole new level, clenching her hands tightly as she shot daggers at the cat.

"You...you lied to us?!" Sora exclaimed, making a note of the seething Zaria as she summoned her Keyblade moments later, surprised that her clenched fist was not strong enough to snap the hilt.

"I lie, you say?" The cat questions despite its ever-present smile remaining on its face. "Nay, I need not. The Cheshire Cat takes heart in aiding those in need."

"You call this aid?!" Zaria shouted at him, pointing the large Heartless that resided behind him with her Keyblade. "If this is your idea of helping other people, then we don't need your damned help!"

The moment she finished her sentence, the giant Heartless began moving toward them, juggling its clubs fluidly without missing a step. Zaria did not hesitate in sprinting toward the chair, ignoring the rustling of Dimitri as he quickly found his way into her bag. Sora and the others did not have any time to react to her sudden movements, and the Heartless did not seem to notice as it focused on the three of them. She wanted to get a higher leverage and assess the situation at hand, having little time to do so before it began its assault. As much as she worried about how the others would handle such a new and unseen Heartless, she was confident that they would be able to take care of it on their own while she stepped away.

Unfortunately, fate continued to play tricks on her as she suddenly heard the three screaming frantically behind. She spun around quickly to find that the Heartless had set them on fire, and they were screaming widely as their backsides burned profusely. The sight made her sigh in disbelief and annoyance.

"Don't tell me that I'm gonna have to deal with this all the damn time," she grumbled as she turned back around and continued running toward the chair. "They'll have to wait a bit. I gotta get a closer look at this Heartless and get an idea of how to take it down."

With that said, Zaria leaped onto the chair, grabbing the edge and hoisting herself up with ease, before leaping for the table. Just as before, she lifted herself over the edge and stood up, her eyes darting over to the Heartless as she successfully got a new angle on it. To her surprise, Zaria saw that the clubs it held onto had now been set ablaze, which explained how Sora and the others had suddenly caught on fire in the first place. She was not expecting something like that to happen, especially since the arms were practically made out of paper which could burn quickly, yet she shook her head and charged forward. If it was a fire based Heartless, then they might have been in more trouble than they thought.

"And it seems," the Cheshire Cat spoke up as he watched the battle unfold from the table, "you're in dire need of assistance."

Zaria stopped running upon spotting him and shot him a cold glare.

"We don't need your help, cat," she hissed, still angered over the cat's betrayal. "You've done enough as it is!"

The cat glanced over at Zaria briefly before looking back down at Sora, who appeared to be successful in putting out the fire.

"Rather a miracle you've made it this far," he commented, though it sounded as if he was referring to Sora instead of to her. Then, he sighed. "It is but a pittance, but I shall grant you what you lack in strength."

Zaria growled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She questioned harshly. He did not answer her. Instead, he raised a hand and snapped his fingers once again. Worried that he had evil plans for Sora, Zaria quickly sprinted to the edge of the table and looked down. Her eyes immediately found Sora, who appeared to be gazing at his Keyblade with a confused look in his eye. The cat had done something to the Keyblade, though it was hard to tell what that was. She glared at the cat again, who merely kept his gaze on Sora. "What did you do to his weapon?"

Suddenly, the sound of Donald's constant screaming interrupted them, causing Zaria to look back down to find the magician was still on fire. Sora turned around to see this as well and gasped.

"Donald!" He called out as Donald continued to run passed him.

Suddenly, his Keyblade appeared to shimmer with what appeared to be particles of snow, surprising Sora and forcing him to hold his Keyblade with both hands. A flurry of snow and ice shot out of the tip of the blade moments later, launching forward and landing directly onto the blaze that burned Donald's backside. The fire immediately ceased, and Donald collapsed to the floor, exhausted over what had happened and taking a moment to catch his breath. It was not long, however, before Donald sat up and looked at Sora with an astonished look.

"Sora?!" He called out to him while Sora looked at his Keyblade in utter shock, seemingly ignoring the still blazing Goofy who ran passed them. "Was that you just now?!"

Zaria stared down at the scene with a look of surprise, her lips ajar, and her eyes widened. She was left speechless, unable to form a coherent sentence over what she had just witnessed. Sora, a boy who had only just recently learned to wield a Keyblade, learned how to use Blizzard?

"You're one of the two they call 'the bearers of the key,'" the Cheshire Cat finally spoke, grabbing the attention of the others as his head turned one hundred and eighty degrees. His grin still remained plastered on his face, yet it seemed to grow slightly when Sora looked at him. "It'd be a true pity if one of them didn't know how to use magic, wouldn't it?"

Everyone stared at the cat with bewildered looks, though Zaria seemed to be the most surprised out of them all. If the cat was supposed to be their enemy, why did he grant Sora the ability to use an attack like Blizzard as a means to assist them?

Before Sora could ask any questions, however, the Heartless, who seemed to walk away during this time to light its clubs on fire once more, returned to continue its assault. Zaria looked back at the monster and watched silently, eying its moves carefully in the hopes of picking out any weaknesses. She felt useless at that moment, but it was best to see just where it was best to strike on it instead of going in guns blazing. It swung its clubs at the trio once again, only, this time, they were more prepared and dodged the attack effortlessly. Sora glared up at the Heartless and aimed his Keyblade at its face, firing off several shots of his new found ability. Unfortunately, every shot he took was dodged by the Heartless, moving its head around from side to side and just barely escaping the assault.

"Why, you-!" Sora growled as he continued to shoot at it. After some time, the Heartless raised its paper arm and slapped the last shot away, launching it toward Zaria, who quickly rolled out of the way just in the nick of time. Sora growled again at the sight. "This isn't doing _anything_ to him..." He grumbled.

Not long after that, the Heartless raised one of its spindly legs and slammed it down, knocking back the three with the force it exuded. By then, Zaria had returned to her feet and looked back at Sora, who was just getting to his feet moments after Donald had cured him.

"Sora! You gotta really focus yourself on what it is you're trying to do!" Donald informed him quickly. Sora looked at him with a look of confusion, while Zaria looked back at the Heartless with a focused look in her eyes. "If you're gonna be channeling magic using the Keyblade, try and concentrate all your power on the bit! Imagine your power freezin' over your opponent!"

Those last words lingered with Zaria for a moment, and it was only a matter of time before a light bulb seemed to appear in her mind. A plan began to formulate in her mind, and those words were a focal point of it. If Sora was capable of focusing his power on freezing over the Heartless, then she would be able to take advantage of the situation by jumping onto the monster and finishing it off in one shot. It was dangerous to consider, since the ice that would encase it may cause her to slip and fall, but it was a risk she had to take. She was not going to allow this beast to rampage in this world any longer than it already had.

With that plan in mind, Zaria looked over at Sora, noticing the look of determination on his face. She inhaled deeply before exhaling.

"Sora!" She called out to him. He glanced up at her, keeping the determined look in his eye. "Remember when you asked me about my Keyblade a while ago, and I told you that I didn't want to explain what it was?" He raised an eyebrow at that but nodded once. She felt a smirk tug at the end of her lips. "If you can freeze this monster, then I'll be more than happen to _show_ you what my Keyblade's ability is." The determined look was replaced with shock upon hearing those words, surprised that she even considered telling him something like that after what she previously said. Her smirk grew slightly when she noticed this. "You can do it, Sora. I..." Her eyes shifted. "I...wouldn't make that offer if I didn't believe in you."

Sora continued to stare at Zaria for another moment, left speechless by her words before that same determined look filled his eyes once again. It may not have been much, but it was a goal to reach toward. This was his way to prove himself to Zaria even more. She was starting to believe in him and his ability to use the Keyblade, and he was not going to let this opportunity slip away. He would show her he was not just some novice anymore.

With that in mind, Sora gripped his Keyblade with both hands while the Heartless began to approach him, its flaming clubs still juggling in its hands. Sora waited a moment for it to grow closer, allowing it to lessen the space between it and Zaria. In a way, he had a feeling she would have needed it to grow closer, and that notion was confirmed as he noticed Zaria move back from the edge and disappear. Just as the Heartless drew closer, Sora, after making sure it was close enough to the table, quickly raised his Keyblade toward it and began to focus his heart, just as Donald had informed him. The Keyblade began to shimmer with snow and ice once more, creating a coating of sorts around the blade.

When he was confident that everything was set in place, Sora gave the command: " _Blizzard!_ "

In a matter of seconds, snow and ice began to circle around him and the Heartless, creating a hail storm around them and freezing anything and everything in the vicinity. The Heartless began to slow down its approach, the clubs losing its blaze just moments later, yet it still continued to try and move toward Sora. However, it was not long before its legs froze in place, followed by its arms and small body. It was working, and Sora knew this. He was actually freezing his enemy!

Realizing that the opportunity was right, Zaria immediately tossed her bag to the side as softly as possible before dashing forward, gripping her Keyblade tightly in her hand. When she had gotten close enough, she used all the strength she had to leap off the edge. Fortunately, Sora had lured it close enough for her to reach out and grip onto the gold highlighting around the Heartless' neck, landing directly above where the heart resided. However, she could feel her grip slipping due to the snow and ice that had encased its body, and Zaria wasted little time in lifting her Keyblade, adjusting it appropriately in her hand, and stabbing into the chest of the monster in one swoop. The attack resulted in the Heartless lurching its head backward, unable to move the rest of its body due to freezing over. The Keyblade, just as before, began to shimmer all over it, white particles of light hover all around it, and a bright light shined out from where the blade had impaled the creature's chest. The light continued to shine out for another moment longer, but over time, it appeared to fade away, seemingly receding into Zaria's Keyblade the longer it remained. Eventually, the light had vanished completely while the Keyblade itself continued to shimmer and glow.

Suddenly, as soon as the light disappeared, the sound of crackling was visibly heard around them. Zaria's eyes widened at the sound, but she did not have time to react as the body of the Heartless began to crumble and collapse. The Heartless fell backward as a result, bringing Zaria with it, as it crashed into the ground and shattered into pieces of different sizes and shapes.

The Heartless was finished. The battle was finally over. They had been victorious.


	16. Bittersweet Victory

"Yeah!" Sora cheered excitedly, leaping for joy over his victory against the giant Heartless. Donald and Goofy joined in on the celebration, jumping onto Sora and congratulating him on being capable of using a new ability, especially one he had never used before until that day.

The Cheshire Cat, who remained on the table and had witnessed the ordeal, watched with a look of awe, his smiling disappearing for the very first time in a rather long time.

"Sweet," he muttered, keeping that little comment to himself instead of allowing the others to hear.

A short distance away, Dimitri freed himself from the bag he resided in, taking a moment to glance at his surroundings, before running to the edge of the table hastily. He was a bit dissatisfied with the fact that he missed the action, recalling Zaria's brief words commanding him to stay in the bag - along with a quick apology for tossing him aside so harshly - so he would remain safe, but the sound of cheering brought him out of hiding. When he reached the edge, the hybrid glanced down at the scene down below, observing what was going on with a curious gaze. Moments later, after realizing that Sora and the gang were victorious in their battle, he could not help but sigh with relief. The battle was finally over, and he was pleased to see that no one was injured too badly during the attack. At least, as far as he could tell, but that was quickly pushed to the back of his mind when he realized one person in the group had gone missing. The person that was not present just so happened to be Zaria.

Realizing this, Dimitri quickly scanned the ground in hopes of spotting her standing nearby, his eyes widening ever so slightly before he looked over at the destruction that was once the enemy Heartless. Despite the look he had on, a look that just screamed that he was concerned for her safety, in reality, he felt fairly confident that Zaria was alright. While she was never a show-off by any means, Dimitri knew that she had a tendency to do rather extreme feats to defeat some of the tougher enemies. It was all in the name of protecting others, but even Dimitri had to admit that some of the things she did were a bit extreme, so much that he had to occasionally wonder if the things she did were really for show or not.

While Dimitri gazed at the rubble, Sora glanced up at him, catching sight of the hybrid creature, before following his gaze as well. It took a moment for Sora to remember how the Heartless was taken down, and it was moments before he gasped in horror.

"Zaria!" He exclaimed, running toward the rubble as quickly as possible. "She's in there! We gotta help her!"

"Sora, wait!" Dimitri called out, halting Sora before he could go any closer. The brown haired boy looked at him again, noticing him pointing to the rubble. "I wouldn't worry about her just yet." He smiled. "Take a look."

Confused by those words, Sora looked back once again, only to stare in awe as the pieces of the Heartless suddenly began to dissipate. Bit by bit, each frozen body part began to break apart and vanish into the air around them. Amidst the disappearing pieces resided a single figure situated in the center of it all, crouching on the ground with their back facing the group. Sora blinked before squinting his eyes, trying to get a better view of the person to identify them. However, he did not have to look for long as the person stood up, locks of their long white hair brushing past their shoulders and returning to their idle state. He recognized that shade immediately, and his suspicions were confirmed as the person turned around to look at them, revealing themselves to be Zaria herself, holding onto her Keyblade loosely. She had survived the destruction, much to the group's relief.

Sora found himself sighing at the sight of her.

"Glad to see you're okay, Zaria," he said with a grin. Zaria had a blank look in her blue eyes as she stared at Sora silently, unfazed by what was happening around her, and it was not long before she began walking toward him. It was evident that she sustained no serious injuries that would have otherwise incapacitated her, but as she approached him, Sora noticed a small, yet deep cut located on her right cheek. No doubt that it was a result of the collapse of the Heartless, yet Zaria did not appear to be worried about that despite the few trails of blood trickling out of the wound. "Hey, you have a cut on your cheek," he informed her when she stopped in front of him, point toward it. "It looks bad."

Zaria blinked at that, her expression changing to confusion.

"Do I?" She inquired as she removed the glove from her right hand. She, then, placed that hand against her cheek, just below the wound, before pulling it back and glancing at her fingers. To her surprise, she found herself staring at a few specs of blood on three of her fingers. "Huh..." She muttered in slight surprise. "I guess I was. I didn't even notice."

"Don't worry!" Donald proclaimed as he ran up to the two, followed by Goofy, and held his wand in front of him. "I'll take care of this!" He raised the wand and pointed it at Zaria. " _Cure!_ "

Within moments, a green aura erupted from the end of the wand before appearing around Zaria. She felt the soothing sensation as the spell began to heal the injuries that she may have sustained yet did not notice. After a brief moment, the feeling vanished just as quickly as it had appeared, and the green aura from the wand disappeared.

Once it disappeared, Zaria glanced at Donald, a small, barely noticeable smile forming on her lips.

"Thank you," she stated, earning a nod from the magician as she put her glove back on her hand.

"Gawrsh, that sure was a way to finish off a Heartless," said Goofy, glancing passed the others just as the last bits of the creature disappeared entirely. "I've never seen anything like that."

Sora glanced at Goofy briefly before looking back at Zaria, who had also glanced at him with slightly widened eyes. She appeared to be a bit shaken, though she showed no visible signs of trembling or quivering with fear. For Sora, he could only assume that she was trying her best to hide her fear after enduring such a fall.

"Yeah, I noticed that too," he pointed out, avoiding the subject on whether or not Zaria was shaken up. Then, a look of realization crossed his features. "Now that I think about it..." He grinned. "Didn't you say that, if I was able to freeze the Heartless, you would tell us about your Keyblade?"

It was at the moment that Zaria glanced at him, eying the boy for only a moment. He was expecting her to glare at him, annoyed that he was capable of pulling such a feat despite having obtained the ability moments prior. However, that glare never came. Her expression never changed from the blank look that remained on her face, and the realization of this left Sora and the others surprised. Why was she not annoyed by that?

After a moment, Zaria closed her eyes and turned her head away from him, shrugging ever so slightly.

"Well, I suppose I did say something like that," she answered him coolly.

Sora blinked in shock at that, while she merely looked back at him.

"W-wait," he started, trying to assess the situation, "you're...you're not annoyed or mad about me asking that?"

Hearing that made her smile; it was a genuine smile, one that he was not expecting.

"Well, I would be if I didn't promise to do it," she explained. "But, I did. Therefore, I can't go back on it, especially since..." Her smile grew slightly, "...since I put a lot of faith in you." Upon hearing those words, Sora could not hide the light shade of pink as they began to form on his cheeks. She noticed this instantly, and that familiar glare and frown returned to her face as she looked away, crossing her arms across her chest. "D-don't get all embarrassed and giddy about it, though! It doesn't mean you're a real Keyblade warrior by any means. It means you're lucky, and I wanted to test my luck."

Immediately, Sora sighed and lowered his head in defeat. She was back to her old self, it seemed. Before he could let it get to him, he looked back at her.

"So..." He started, pausing briefly after being surprised by Dimitri appearing from nowhere and leaping onto Zaria's shoulder, returning her bag to her. "Are you gonna tell us, or...?"

He was unsure as to why he trailed off at the end, but he only assumed it was the blank look she gave him once more. She remained silent at that, staring at him once again before she sighed and glanced away. The look in her eyes showed that she was deep in thought, possibly about how she was going to go about explaining the abilities of her Keyblade to three individuals that were practically strangers to her. After a short time, she slowly looked at her Keyblade, raising it in front of her and situating it between herself and Sora.

"I...don't exactly know how to explain it properly..." She started slowly, eying the blade with an intent stare, "but I've learned over time that my Keyblade can contain and seal away the hearts that have been lost into the blade itself." Sora blinked at that while Donald and Goofy gave each other confused looks. "I can say for certain that sealing the hearts doesn't give me any special abilities to use during battle. Whether that's a possibility or not is unclear, unfortunately."

"So, what happens to the hearts while they're sealed away?" Goofy questioned. "Does anything happen to them?"

Zaria thought for a moment before shrugging, cautious of the weight on her shoulder that was Dimitri.

"To be honest, I don't know," she explained. "I like to think that the realm within the blade - if there is any - is some sort of purgatory. It's a place where the darkness can't consume them, but a place where the light can't save them." She frowned at that. "It's a grim thought to believe, but I've also discovered something that is useful and gives me another reason for moving forward."

"What's that?" Donald questioned, crossing his arms across his chest.

Silently, Zaria brought the blade closer to her, positioning it so that the hilt resided just over her chest.

"I can hear them," she answered softly.

They gave her confused looks, baffled at the response.

"You can hear them?" Sora asked, earning a nod from Zaria.

"Yes, I can hear the voices of the people these hearts belong to," she went on, glancing at Sora. "I can hear their sorrow, their cries for help, as they reside within the blade. They want to go home, return to their bodies, but they're afraid that the darkness will come to capture them once again." Her grip tightened on the blade as a serious look formed on her face. "Because of this, I have made it my duty to do everything in my power to return these hearts to where they belong, even if it takes a lifetime." Suddenly, she sighed and looked away, lowering her blade to her side before allowing it to disappear. "Unfortunately...I wish I could say that I've gotten far with that task. Or rather, I wish I could say I _will_ get far..."

Sora could not help but notice the saddened look in her eyes, resulting in him looking at her with concern.

"What do you mean?" Goofy asked, stealing the question right from Sora's mouth. "Dimitri said that you've been fighting the Heartless for a long time. Wouldn't the people who lost their hearts be nearby so you could return them?"

Zaria slowly glanced back at him.

"Of course," she answered. "Why do you think I took some time to go back to Traverse Town after defeating the Guard Armor?" The others glanced between one another, recalling the moment when Zaria and Dimitri departed for "important business" or something along those lines. "It was so that I could return the hearts that had been stolen by the Heartless, but I didn't tell you that because I didn't trust you guys."

Sora's gaze turned into one of deep thought.

"But...if that's true..." He started to say, but he was soon interrupted by Zaria.

"The reason I'm having such a hard time with this," she explained as she lowered her head, "is because the amount of hearts that are sealed in my blade, the number of voices that I hear, is beyond anything that I thought was possible. I may not have the chance to help even a quarter within my lifetime..."

Hearing those words made Sora's heart drop, especially after watching Zaria clench her fists, and he could not help but frown in sympathy. Donald and Goofy gave similar looks while Dimitri merely sat on her shoulders with his ears falling back.

There was no doubt in Sora's mind that Zaria was very upset over this unfortunate fact, angry that she was incapable of helping all of the lost hearts that were gathered within her Keyblade no matter how hard she tried, and those thoughts seemed to plague her thoughts regularly. It may not be on par with the loss of her friends since they had a special place in her heart, but Sora could only imagine how she felt when she realized the scope of her mission and how futile it appeared to be in the long run. The helpless and troubled feelings Zaria must have endured on a daily basis must have taken a toll on her, physically and mentally, yet she continued to put on a strong face and push through them, pretending as if she was unfazed by anything that was thrown at her. She had to be, Sora assumed, just so that she did not come off as weak in front of her enemies. At least, that was what Sora could only assume that much based on what he had seen thus far.

After a moment, a look of determination crossed Sora's face. Even though the idea was hopeless, he remembered what she said moments ago, remembered how she said that she would do everything in her power to help them, even if it took her entire life. That statement seemed to run through his mind several times over, ingraining itself into his mind so that he would never forget. If that was the vow she made when she discovered this, then Sora was not going to let the thoughts of helplessness cloud her any further. Instead of focusing on the downside of it, the least she could do was concentrate on the people that she was capable of helping now. After all, even helping a small percentage was better than nothing.

With that in mind, he looked at Zaria with a serious look.

"'I have made it my duty to do everything in my power to return these hearts to where they belong, even if it takes a lifetime,'" Sora quoted her sternly, causing Zaria to look at him curiously.

"Hm?"

"That's what you just told us, right?" He asked her calmly.

Zaria blinked, her expression changing to one of confusion.

"I...yeah?" She answered, unsure of how to respond to that.

"Then don't think about how much you have to go through," he told her. "Worry about the ones you can save now. Sure, it sounds like a lot to go through, but you've dedicated some of your time to helping them despite that." Zaria stared at him in awe, yet she said nothing in response. Sora grinned. "Just keep telling yourself that. Besides, you're still young," he glanced at Donald and Goofy, "and you've got some friends to help you, too!" He looked at her again, noticing her glancing toward Dimitri, who only smiled at her as well. "I don't understand how that works, but if you need any help, we'll be there for you." He gave her a thumbs up. "You're our friend, after all, and we're not gonna stand by and do all the work by yourself."

Zaria looked back at Sora with a look of awe, surprised by his words, before she suddenly turned her head away from him. She remained that way for a long time, inhaling a few times deeply, before looking back at him. To his surprise, she started smiling sweetly at him. The feelings she had before seemed to melt, though Sora had his doubts about how long it would last. It was hard to say that she was feeling one hundred percent better, but she was certainly starting to believe his words.

Before she could say anything in response, however, a yawn sounded from nearby, grabbing the attention of the group instantly. They looked in the direction in which it came from, only to find themselves looking at the doorknob. Judging from the tired yawn that escaped the doorknob, there was no doubt that he was awoken from his sleep, and he did not look very happy about it.

"Dear Lord," he stated as looked at the group, "what _is_ that racket?" The group stared with confusion. "Do humor me and tone down the brawl, could you? A doorknob can't be getting any rest around here, he can't..."

Zaria glared in the doorknob's direction while Donald shouted, "What's with that attitude there?! We were just-!"

The magician was immediately interrupted by the doorknob yawning once again, which only irritated Donald even more. However, that was the least of their worries as they noticed something appear within the doorknob's mouth. From the looks of it, and to their surprise, it seemed to be in the shape of a keyhole. Fitting for an inanimate object such as him.

Sora could not help but raise an eyebrow with an intent expression.

"A keyhole...?" He wondered out loud.

Zaria glanced at him briefly before taking a step toward it.

"Let me handle this one, Sora," she told him, summoning her Keyblade moments later. "I'll demonstrate what to do so that you can-"

She was suddenly interrupted as a stream of light shot out from behind her, nearly frightening her out of her skin, and aimed straight for the opened mouth of the doorknob and into the shape of the keyhole. They watched in awe as the light entered the keyhole and, moments later, a loud "click" was heard throughout the room. Then, as soon as the stream appeared, it vanished moments later, and the doorknob had soon stopped yawning. The doorknob seemed completely oblivious to what had happened, though it could have been that he did not really care about it, either.

"I wish simply to sleep..." He said groggily, closing his and going back to sleep moments later.

Zaria stared at the doorknob for another moment before sighing, allowing her Keyblade to disappear from her hand. Figured he would do that, and she was glad that he did. Better to have been tired to the point of paying little attention to what was going on than to explain why a beam of light shot into his mouth.

"Wha...what was that?" Sora asked, staring at the end of his blade with the same look of awe. He did not expect something like that to happen, let alone that he was capable of doing something like it.

"Sounded sorta like the 'click' of something being locked," Donald commented, still staring at the door in slight shock.

Zaria merely glanced at them and raised a brow, though she chose to keep her mouth shut for the time being. She would have to explain that to them later.

Suddenly, a light tapping against tile was heard behind her, grabbing her attention and causing her to turn around. After a moment of glancing around, her gaze fell to the floor, only to spot a strange little block lying near her feet. It appeared foreign to her, the color scheme being yellow, blue and light green. Confusion formed on her face as she bent down and picked it up, observing her carefully as she stood once more. Dimitri looked it over as well, watching it intently in the hopes of figuring out what it could have been.

"Never seen this before..." She stated, pursing her lips in thought. Then, she glanced at the others, who appeared to notice as well, and she handed it to them. "Any idea what this is?"

Goofy was the first to notice what she was holding, and a look of realization crossed over him.

"Ahyuck, it's a gummi block!" He proclaimed, carefully taking it from her and observing it with a smile on his face.

Zaria blinked while Dimitri tilted his head in confusion.

"Are you sure that's what it is, Goofy?" He asked. "It appears to be a bit strange, and it looks nothing like the ship."

"Hmm..." Goofy observed it a bit more carefully. "You're right. Doesn't look like a normal piece, this one..."

"Let's have it here!" Donald demanded, walking over to the knight and taking the block from him. After observing it for himself, he came to the same conclusion. "Hmm, you're right. Haven't seen another one like it."

Zaria placed a hand on her hip casually while Sora merely stood by and watched, a confused look on his face. No doubt he was still confused about the whole "gummi blocks" thing, but he decided to keep those thoughts to himself for now. He would learn soon enough.

"So, do you think we'll have any use with that?" Zaria inquired. "It's probably not best to carry around things we don't really need, or else our pockets will be filled to the point where we can't even move."

Donald thought for a moment before shrugging.

"I'm not sure just yet, but I'll hold on to it just in case," he decided as he put it away. "Better to have it and learn about it in case it ends up being useful in our journey."

Zaria appeared doubtful about that, but she chose not to say anything. Donald knew more about gummis and gummi blocks than she did, so she allowed him to make that call. Chances were probably leaning toward the block being useful, and Zaria was not going to complain about that.

Suddenly, the echoing sound of slow clapping caught everyone's attention. They were quick to figure out that it had come from the table and looked at it. To their surprise and displeasure, they all found themselves staring up at the grinning face of the Cheshire Cat, the one who had thrown them into battle against the Heartless seemingly moments ago, standing at the edge of the table and watching them. Zaria immediately began to seethe with rage as she glared at him, clenching her fists tightly. Sora and the others were quick to glare at the cat as well, but they were not exactly as upset and enraged over the cat's apparent betrayal, especially since he had helped them in the end by granting Sora the ability of Blizzard.

"Superb performance, boy," the cat spoke, ceasing his clapping soon after he spoke those words. "That's a show of innate talent, that display. Your powers really do bloom true, if I do say!" His grin grew slightly. "Keep it up, and you'll be a florist someday!"

"The Cheshire Cat..." Sora muttered to himself before speaking out loud. "Who's side are you..."

"But..." The cat interrupted him as he lied down, keeping his gaze on the group, "there's something you're forgetting."

They all thought on his words for a moment, confused by the riddles and what they could have forgotten. Zaria, however, was quick to discover the truth, and she only stared at the others briefly before looking back at the cat.

"We haven't forgotten about Alice, cat," she hissed at him. She, then, glanced at the others again, noticing their similar looks of realization as they remembered the young girl. "At least, _I_ haven't forgotten." She looked at the cat again. "So if you're finished playing tricks on us, then you can tell us where Alice is." She frowned. " _Or else..._ "

The cat merely stared down at her for a moment, keeping his grin present just as he always did.

"Alice is neither here nor there," he explained casually, seemingly ignoring the looks of surprise on their faces, "or available for any occasion."

"W-what?!" Zaria exclaimed, stepping forward as shock took over her expression in an instant. The sudden desperation and anxiousness seemed to return for a moment. "Where the hell is she, then?!"

"She's gone!" He replied. "Off with the shadows, into darkness."

"What does that mean?" She snapped. "She has to be here!"

The cat stood up once again, keeping his eyes on the group.

"She has passed from this world..." He explained to them. It was not long before they realized that he started to disappear body part by body part all the way until his head was left without its body. "...To where...I cannot speak..."

With those words spoken, his head vanished along with the rest of its body, disappearing into nothing and leaving them alone with their thoughts. A hush fell over them as an aura of defeat washed over them.

"No..." Zaria mumbled under her breath, slumping her shoulders while her head started to hang.

Donald noticed her sullen state and was quick to speak up.

"Let's go back to our gummi ship," he informed her as well as the others. "We might find her in another world."

Sora looked at Donald, the look in his eyes evident of his sorrow, and nodded in agreement. After that, Donald quickly turned on his heel and began running toward the chair, followed by Goofy. Sora slowly started to follow them after them moments later, passing by a stagnant Zaria who remained situated in her spot. However, he heard her mutter something under her breath, causing him to stop in his tracks. He tried to process what she had just said, yet he could not help but turn around to look at her, noticing Dimitri's ears raise in surprise before dropping down as a saddened look crossed his face. She was a few feet away from Sora, but her words carried far enough for him to hear clearly. He stared at her for the longest time, looking at her with an expression that crossed between surprise and confusion. He would have stared longer had she not slowly looked at him as well. The look in her eyes shifted to one of sadness to nothing in an instant, though Sora was able to catch it just as she changed it. She was trying to hide it from him.

"What?" She questioned him, raising a brow while keeping her blank expression on her face.

It took a moment for Sora to realize what she said, and he only blinked in response at first.

"Oh, uh..." He started, briefly taking a second to gather his thoughts. "I...I thought you said something."

For an instant, a flash of an expression he could not read crossed over her face. It appeared to be a look of sadness, but Sora was not confident. Instead, Zaria glanced away from him, taking a moment to look at the concerned Dimitri sitting on her shoulder, before looking back at him.

"I...did, actually..." She suddenly started, surprising both Sora and Dimitri. The rabbit-lion hybrid kept his mouth shut, however, and merely sat there while a small smile formed on her lips. "I...wanted to thank you. For...what you said earlier." She chuckled; whether she knew that Sora could tell it was fake or not was unclear. "It made me feel a little better, and...I appreciate you telling me that..."

They continued to stare at one another in silence, looking into each other's eyes as if they were searching for something important. Zaria's motives were unknown, but for Sora, he wanted to see if she was telling the truth or just lying to avoid explaining what she actually said. He was certain that it had to be a lie, but it was hard to tell. If anything, it sounded more like a half truth. She did appear grateful for what he said to her some time ago, yet her gratitude for that was not the original choice of words that she had spoken. If she was hiding what she said, she was certainly doing a good job at it, so much so that Sora decided not to bother asking any further questions.

With that in mind, he decided to fake a grin of his own, though it did not feel as fake as he would have liked.

"No problem!" He chirped. "I'm glad you're feeling better about it."

Zaria did not say anything in response, but instead, she merely nodded and began walking passed him, leaving him behind as she moved toward the chair. He remained in his spot for the longest time, staring at the spot where she once stood, as a thoughtful look crossed over his face. He continued to stand there in thought before looking in the direction that Zaria had gone, staring at her fleeting form as she leaped onto the chair before jumping onto the table.

In his head, he could have sworn he heard her say, "She was taken away...just like my friends..."


	17. Reminiscence

Sora stared out the window of the Gummi Ship with solemn blue eyes as he glanced over every star that resided in the sky. Donald was, once again, piloting the Gummi Ship, steering it in the direction of their next destination, while Goofy sat by and looked ahead. In a way, he was keeping an eye out for anything that caught his eye, whether it was a new world to explore or anymore Heartless that had arrived to stand in their way. Zaria was also sitting in her seat, leaning against the armrest and staring out the window with a blank look in her eyes, placing her chin in her hand as her elbow rested on the armrest. Dimitri sat on her lap comfortably, writing in his book about the adventures they had in Wonderland as his face contorted into a look of deep thought. He seemed relaxed despite the expression, however, content with spending what free time he had writing in his journal.

The silence within the ship was not awkward in the slightest. The atmosphere was calm and gave an almost peaceful sense within the room. However, whether that was true or not, inside their minds was a different story, especially in the case of Sora. His mind began to race with the memories of Riku and Kairi, the friends that he was incapable of finding in the bizarre world of Wonderland despite having searched in every nook and cranny – almost literally.

"Didn't find anyone, after all..." He could not help but mutter out loud.

Hearing his voice, Zaria glanced in his direction, her expression remaining the same.

"Hm?" She made a small noise, trying to grab his attention. However, he did not seem to hear her, which came as no surprise to her.

"Not only did Alice go bye-bye on us," he continued to speak out loud, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Zaria – or anyone, for that matter – was listening to him, "we didn't get anywhere with the King, either..." He let out a huff as he closed his eyes. "I wonder where Riku and Kairi are?"

Zaria frowned at those words, her gaze falling to the floor for only a moment before she found herself staring out the window again.

 _Now that you mention it, we didn't get anywhere with finding my friends, either..._ She thought to herself. It was not intended to be a thought that left her annoyed, but it was more of a realization of her own.

She had gotten so caught up with everything that happened in Wonderland that she became sidetracked with her own mission, a mission she had focused on for so many years. Being in the company of teammates seemed to assist in her forgetfulness, but hearing Sora talk about his friends allowed her to remember why she was there in the first place. It was the first time she had ever strayed from the path she had walked upon, and she knew that she was supposed to be angry about it. She knew she had to be upset because she was wasting time, time that could have been spent looking instead of goofing off. Despite those thoughts and feelings, however, Zaria could not bring herself to feel that way no matter how hard she tried. Yes, she was peeved about losing precious time, time that could have been spent searching for their friends, but the experience she had with Sora, Donald, and Goofy in that strange new world was...different. It was nothing she had ever anticipated or expected when she made the decision to join them. In a way, despite her annoyance with the oddities that took place as well as being led around in circles by that deranged cat, she felt somewhat glad that it happened. "Somewhat" being the operative term, since she was not particularly happy with being strung along like a puppet, but she was glad that Sora and the others made things a bit more interesting.

A sigh escaped the white haired maiden's lips. Still, it did not change the fact that their friends and the King were still missing.

Glancing back over in Sora's direction, Zaria's brows immediately furrowed with confusion and disbelief as she watched Goofy tug on Sora's face, forcing him to smile in a rather odd manner. She continued to watch in silence before shaking her head. Certainly, this group was rather strange, though it was hard to say if she wanted that to change.

"Nothin' to be worried about, kid!" Donald proclaimed, looking over his shoulder as Goofy stepped away. Sora looked at them as he rubbed his face.

"Ahyuk! We'll find them, Sora!" Goofy reassured him, a big goofy smile clear as day on his mug.

Zaria could not help but smile as she looked back out the window, yet kept an open ear to the conversation.

"There are as many worlds as there are stars," Donald went on to inform Sora, who merely sat in his seat and looked at him with surprise, "and if you wanna live to search 'em all, you'd better cheer up! Your depression is depleting the power supplies!"

Baffled by those words, Zaria looked over at Donald, her eyes widening ever so slightly, as Dimitri glanced up from his writing momentarily.

"Wait, you were serious about that?" She questioned. "I thought that was just a saying to make sure we were happy about teaming up."

"Nope! Completely serious!" Donald responded, looking over the controls and pointing to the gauge that indicated what she presumed was the power supply in question. "See? It keeps dropping because you guys aren't happy!" Sora blinked and glanced at Zaria briefly, who continued to stare at Donald with a confused look in her eyes. "So start smiling, you two, and think happy thoughts!"

Sora looked back at Donald, looking at him for only a moment before grinning.

"I guess you're right," he chirped, sitting back in his seat and placing his hands behind his head. "No use crying when there's still work to be done!"

"Hm," Zaria grunted plainly as she looked out the window, her blank stare returning, while Dimitri set his pencil in the book and shut it. "I guess that's a good excuse to think happy thoughts, but..."

Sora glanced in her direction upon hearing those words.

"Hm? But what?" He could not help but inquire, curious as to where she would be going with her story.

Zaria remained silent for only a moment before she adjusted herself in her seat, cautious of Dimitri as she did so.

"My happy thoughts...well, they involve memories with the friends I'm searching for," she answered honestly, folding her arms over her chest in a casual manner. "And let's be honest. If you've been in the game as long as I have, those happy thoughts will be more likely to be more depressing than anything else."

"That can't be true!" Sora pointed out, sitting upward and placing his hands on his knees. Zaria glanced at him. "If you're thinking about your friends and all the memories you had with them, then you should feel happy."

"I agree with you, Sora, but still..." she responded blandly before she sighed. "Looking back to the old days before all of this happened is...more depressing than it should be." She looked out the window again. "I look back at all the memories I have of them, and it just makes me miss them more. It makes me want to go back to those days where we had no worries or cares in the world." She paused for thought, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Just thinking about it is...a little upsetting. Which kinda sucks."

"And it's dangerous for the ship!" Donald called out, earning looks from the others. "Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts!"

Sora thought for a long moment as he glanced at Zaria, who sighed and looked back out the window again. He noticed Dimitri hopping off her lap as he went to put the book he was writing in back in her back. Watching him gave Sora an idea almost instantly as he looked back at Zaria.

"Well, how about this?" He quickly suggested. Zaria glanced at him again as he went on. "How about, instead of thinking about the past, you could think about the future?"

His words caused her to frown as she raised a brow.

"You say that as if I've never done it before," she answered plainly.

"Wait, hold on, you gotta let me finish!" He said, waving his hands in front of him. Zaria blinked, allowing him to continue. "Why not think about how you're gonna tell your friends about the adventures you've been on over the years? It has been three years since you started searching for them, and I'm sure you've got plenty of stories that you'd like to tell them."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" Goofy chirped, bouncing in his seat. "I'm sure there are some exciting stories you'd love to share with them!"

Zaria thought about it while Dimitri perked up.

"Oh, absolutely!" He exclaimed as he began shuffling through the bag once more. "There's a plethora of stories that we can tell them!" He grinned as he looked at Zaria, who looked down at him at the same time. "Don't you think that's an excellent idea, Miss Zaria?"

"Mmm..." She continued to think about it, pursing her lips briefly before looking at the others. "I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to consider." Then, a barely noticeable smile formed on her lips. "The question is, which one would be the best to start with?"

Sora thought for a moment, glancing away briefly before realization struck him.

"Well, before all that, why don't we start with who they are first?" He suggested, turning his gaze back to her. Zaria looked at him, blinking in confusion at his words. "We haven't heard anything about your friends. Only that you're looking for them."

She blinked once again before looking away.

"Huh, I...suppose I haven't told you much about them, have I?" She mumbled to herself. Then, she let out a huff and looked back at Sora. "Well, I'm assuming you want to know what they're like, huh?"

Sora shrugged and nodded.

"A better place to start than any," he said as he sat back in his seat again.

As Sora became comfortable in his seat, Zaria looked to the floor and took the time to look through her memories, memories that she held onto dearly, so that she may recall the friends she had spent so much time searching for over the years. It took some time, since reliving every moment with them was a bit difficult on her part, but when she was satisfied with how she would describe them, she looked back at the others.

"Let's see..." She muttered, moving her hands so they folded on her lap. "Well, for starters, there's only two people I'm looking for, much like you, Sora. The first one is a boy, whom I believe should be at least a year older than me." She paused for thought. "No, two years. He's two years older than I am." She shook her head. "Anyway, if I remember correctly, he was probably the most relaxed person I've ever known, and I've seen quite a few people since I began traveling to different worlds. He was a slacker when he wanted to be, and that was too often for his own good." She chuckled and glanced out the window. "Though, when he needs to be, he's very hardworking and will always get the job done right. You won't have to ask him twice, either." Her gaze seemed to falter. "He's like a big brother in a lot of ways. He always looked out for us, made sure we were safe, and...well, just made us feel like one big happy..." She hesitated for only a moment, "...family."

Sora could not help but notice the somber look cross over her face, realizing that she was becoming unhappy as she recalled the memories of her friend, and he was quick to speak up.

"How about the other?" He quickly asked, trying to keep her occupied with what they were doing. Granted, she was still talking about her friends, but he figured it was a way for her to remember that he, Donald, Goofy, and Dimitri were still there. Not to mention the lack of happy thoughts would leave them stuck in the middle of nowhere. "What were they like?"

Hearing his voice seemed to bring her back to reality since she began looking at him again.

"The other is...a girl..." She began to explain. "I've known her much longer than the first friend. She was one of the first friends I made, in fact." She smiled faintly. "From what I know, she was a very timid girl, never interacting with others very much. When we met, though, that seemed to change." Her smile grew a bit. "She and I were... _are_...still very close friends. Back then, we were rarely seen apart." She paused for thought. "We were inseparable friends, and even now, it's still weird not having her here." She glanced back at the others. "Don't get me wrong. The both of them are very near and dear to my heart, and I want nothing more than to find them. But..." Her gaze fell to the floor. "I can't help but shake the feeling that I've always known her. Like she's always been there, and I just didn't realize it."

"Like you met in another life?" Dimitri suggested, keeping his attention on Zaria.

She thought about it for a moment before nodding once.

"Y-yeah, actually. Like we had met in another life, and we were being reunited as children," she answered him absentmindedly as if her mind were still in deep thought. "Weird that that suggestion is probably the most accurate way of explaining our friendship." She, then, chuckled again. "I guess friendships of all kind can be described in numerous ways with some seemingly stranger than others."

Sora glanced at Goofy briefly, exchanging smiles briefly before looking back at Zaria. It was nice to see her feeling better despite the circumstances.

"Now that we have an idea of who we're looking for," Goofy spoke first, "what are they're names?"

Realization seemed to strike her features as she looked between them.

"Gee, I guess it would be nice if you knew their names by now," she responded sheepishly, scratching her cheek with an index finger. After a moment, she looked out the window again, placing her chin in her hand as her elbow rested on the armrest. "The name of the boy...is Garion."

"Garion..." Sora repeated the name as his gaze fell, wanting to be sure that he had the name engraved in his mind. After a moment, he looked back at Zaria with a happy expression. "And the girl? What's her name?"

Noticing Sora's eager expression, Zaria looked at him raised a brow. However, she said nothing as she looked back out the window.

"The girl..." She slowly started as if she were thinking about the name. Though, it was not long before she continued. "The girl's name...is Kiara."

* * *

"We've arrived, Riku."

Blue-green eyes blinked as Riku cautiously entered the strange new room, a place where he had no other choice but to call home. It certainly did not feel like home as he had grown so accustomed to the sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the beach and the salty breeze brushing past him, but it was better than having nothing at all.

His gaze slowly skimmed over the chamber, taking in the sight in an attempt to familiarize himself with the new surroundings, as he walked inside. It certainly felt dark, a feeling he felt while walking through this strange castle. The room itself appeared very simple in design as well; there was a bed to sleep on with a nightstand situated nearby, an empty closet to store clothing, a desk, and another door where he presumed was the bathroom. It was nothing special, Riku noted, but as he had told himself before, it was certainly better than having nothing. Not to mention he was exhausted after everything that had happened, and he just wanted to get some sleep.

At least, that was what he told himself he was going to do if he did not remember the presence of the mysterious girl standing behind him.

"S-so...um..." She spoke once more, grabbing his attention as he turned to look at her. "W-what do you think? Of the castle and...and your room?" It was evident that she was trying her best to have some small talk with him, but she was finding it difficult to form the right words without stuttering. He had to give her credit for trying. "It must feel a little bit bland, huh?"

Riku looked around the room once more.

"If by 'a little bit,' you mean it's unbearable to look at," he commented before looking back at her, "then yes, it does feel a little bland."

For the first time since he arrived, a faint giggle escaped the girl's lips. It was sweet and genuine, not like the one known as Maleficent. It was as if this girl knew exactly how he felt. It came as no surprise when she said, "That's how it was when I first came here, but I never said anything to Maleficent." She quickly shifted back to her nervous state. "I, uh, didn't want to be rude to her, especially after she had taken me in and gave me a place to stay."

Riku's eyes narrowed with mistrust as he began to face her completely; not toward the girl, but rather toward Maleficent and the idea that she was "kind enough" to allow this girl to stay with her.

From what he saw, she was just some girl who became a nervous wreck around people she did not know, stuttering over words and appearing to have the desire just to disappear. For all he knew, she was probably useless to this Maleficent person. However, something about her presence was soothing, calming even, and he found it difficult to put her down. Not only that but, like the rest of the people that may have resided, he knew nothing about her. He did not know how great a fighter she was or even what kind of weapon she used, what she was capable of doing that aided Maleficent in any way, nothing at all. He did not even know what she looked like. Nevertheless, being in her presence was calming for him, and he found himself slowly but surely putting his trust in her, even if he remained skeptical of her and her motives.

Maleficent, on the other hand, was a different story altogether. Riku could almost read her like an open book. If it was not the way she looked, then it was the way she acted, the way she spoke. He already had a bad feeling about her the moment he gazed upon her outside the castle. It was as if she was plotting something, something dangerous, but he just could not put his finger on what it could have been. She was mysterious, more so than this girl, and her presence alone was enough for him to question if agreeing to be there was the right decision.

Upon that thought, he came to a realization as his gaze softened a bit.

"Is that why you're so willing to work for her?" The question just seemed to come out without much thought, and it surprised the girl as she looked at him from underneath her hood. "Because she took you in?"

"Mmm..." She hesitated in response, fiddling her thumbs as her head turned away from him. After a brief moment, she went on. "Y...yes and no." Riku raised a brow at the response but said nothing as she continued. "Yes, because she took me in and give me a place to stay without any sort of trouble. But no, because...because she requested that I work for her in exchange for having somewhere to go...and..." Her head began to droop, "...and to find my friends."

Hearing her say those words caused Riku's eyes to narrow ever so slightly. In that moment, he remembered the words she had told him when they first met, words that made him realize something very important:

 _"But if it's any consolation to you, I know what it's like to be in the position you're in right now_."

"So that's what you meant," he spoke, earning a look from the girl, "when you said you knew what it was like to be in my position."

She was silent for a moment, though she did nod her head in response.

"We've lost our worlds to the darkness, and we've lost our friends along the way because of it," she explained somberly as her head began to droop once again. "Not to mention..."

She, suddenly, trailed off and went silent, and Riku noticed her tensing up and shrinking away from him. Something told him that she had become increasingly nervous about continuing with her statement. However, he was not going to allow her to do that. She may not have been used to the idea of being around people, but he had a hunch that, like Maleficent, there was more to her than he had originally thought.

"Not to mention what?" He pressed. As much as he wanted to bombard her with questions, Riku understood that there may have been things she did not want to bring up. Whether it was out of fear of Maleficent's wrath or something us was still unclear.

The girl continued to hesitate for another moment or so, contemplating on whether or not she should continue, before looking back at him.

"Not to mention..." She slowly started again, "we weren't afraid...of opening our hearts to the darkness..."

Riku inhaled sharply at that, his eyes widening ever so slightly, as the girl began looking away from him again. The realization that this girl, this person he knew nothing about, had more of an understanding of what he was going through than anyone else made him feel...unsettled.

"Just...who are you?" He could not help but ask again, unconsciously assuming that the response was going to be the same.

"I told you, didn't I," came her quick response. "I'm...I'm no one important."

Riku's eyes narrowed at that; he was not having that.

"I wouldn't have bothered asking if that was the case," he told her, watching as she froze in her spot once more. "But...there's clearly more to you than you're letting off. I don't know what that is, but if this Maleficent person has any plans for me that involve working with you," He sent her a reassuring smile, "then the least I could do is learn more about the potential partner." The girl said nothing as she began fiddling with her thumbs once more. Despite being incapable of seeing her face, Riku had a feeling that she was contemplating the idea. After a moment, he went on to say, "Not to mention...maybe we could help each other out."

His words struck a nerve with her as she flinched and immediately looked at him. He knew she was surprised by his words.

"You mean..." She slowly spoke, straightening herself out a bit as she did so, "you...you'll help me...find my friends?"

"I'll do what I can," Riku shrugged, keeping his smile to show that he was being genuine, "if you're willing to help me find mine."

She stood there for a long moment, staring at him as if she was moved by what he said. She was speechless, unable to form a coherent sentence to express her answer. Riku knew this, especially after watching her become much more relaxed than ever before. Her hands lowered; she was standing straight, and he could almost tell that she was in awe. Those subtle things were enough for Riku to come to one conclusion: not only was she moved that someone else was more than willing to help her find her friends, but she was not used to being treated with the kindness Riku had displayed. It only made him wonder just what she was going through while she was here.

It seemed like an eternity had before the girl nodded her head once, agreeing with his terms without an ounce of hesitation.

"O-of course!" She quickly spoke, her voice sounding a bit brighter and more enthusiastic. However, she was quick to recoil, as if she had overdone it on the excitement before going on. "B-but first, you'd probably like to know who I am...right?"

Riku's smile grew a bit as he responded, "It would be nice to know the name of a new friend."

Once again, she flinched at the mentioning of the word 'friend,' but she was quick to calm herself. Before long, she raised her hand to her hood and pushed it away, revealing her face to him for the first time. Coal black hair appeared from underneath the hood, rolling down to reach the middle of her back, while her bangs framed around her face. Even from afar, he could distinctly spot a white colored headband atop her head, almost hidden by her dark locks were it not for the color. Her eyes, violet-blue in shade and round shaped, greatly contrasted her fair skin, and they appeared soft and kind, innocent almost.

A soft smile graced her lips as her gaze shifted briefly, a faint tint of pink forming on her cheeks before she looked at him again.

"My name is..." She started, hesitating momentarily before she inhaled deeply. "My name is Kiara. It's a pleasure."


	18. The Dark Being

Riku awoke the next morning to sound of soft knocking against his door, so soft he was surprised he heard it at all. He stirred beneath the blanket of his bed, finding it much harder than before to get out, and he would have succumbed to the grasp of sleep once more if the knocking sound did not occur a second time. Typically, he would be wide awake the moment the sun entered his room and hit his face, informing him that morning had arrived once again and it was time to start the day. Now, not only did he have no way of knowing what time it was in that dark, seemingly deserted castle that was Hollow Bastion, but his body felt much weaker than before. The exhaustion must have taken its toll on him, he realized; not much of a surprise after recalling everything that occurred to him thus far. Nevertheless, Riku knew he had to get out of bed and see who it could have been. After all, it was rude to leave someone standing at the door, especially if they _knew_ he was in there.

It was that thought that made him toss the covers off his body and do just that. Upon standing, he took the time to stretch out his arms and back, almost forgetting that he opted to sleep with the pajama pants that Kiara had provided him yesterday while skipping out on the shirt, before slowly sauntering over to the door. Oddly enough, the knocking did not occur a third time, which may have indicated that the person knew he was finally awake and making his approach. That, or they were just very patient. Either way, he was thankful that they did not annoy him; he never really was a morning person to begin with, anyway.

Once he approached the door, Riku grasped the handle, turned it, and opened it toward him, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he did so. Blue-green eyes blinked to adjust his vision, but rounded slightly upon finding the familiar face of Kiara standing before him awkwardly with her hands behind her back. She looked up at him briefly, as if she were about to smile, but she soon glanced over him once before her face immediately turned away from him. Despite that, he could see the growing shade of crimson overtaking her cheeks and ears. He blinked, confused by the action, but he did not have the chance to speak as she slowly glanced up at him again.

"I-I'm...I'm sorry," she suddenly apologized. "I-I-I didn't mean to wake you up so suddenly..." Her gaze shifted to the floor. "A-and I, uh, didn't mean to catch you in the state you're in now."

Riku, still bewildered, stared at her for another moment, watching her eyes switch between him and the floor. He glanced down at himself to see what she may have been referring to, but he was quick to look back at her upon realizing what she meant. It was his turn to shift his gaze as a light shade of pink dusted over his cheeks. He almost forgot he did not have a shirt on, and it was way to obvious that Kiara felt embarrassed being in his presence because of it.

"It's...it's fine," he reassured her with a smile, trying to make the situation less awkward for her. "Wasn't expecting you to wake me up this morning, but I'm glad you did. No doubt I would have slept in."

Inhaling deeply, Kiara slowly looked back at him, though she shifted in her spot nervously before forcing a small smile on her face. She was trying to be nice, and Riku could tell it that there was no ill intention behind it.

"I...I wanted to bring you something," she informed him. After a second, she slowly brought one of her hands from behind her back, revealing what appeared to be a plate of food in her hands. Riku blinked in surprise as she went on. "I, um, made you breakfast."

It took a moment for him to process her words, but when he did, Riku could not help but look down at the food – a simple plate of fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast – before looking back at her. She went out of her way to make him breakfast, something that he was certainly not expecting anyone here to do. It was a kind gesture, and it was clear that Kiara was just trying to make him feel welcomed and comfortable. Granted, she was still not used to having someone to talk to, but she was certainly trying.

Unfortunately, his silence came off in a different lighting, and he looked at her to notice a frown on her lips as her gaze faltered.

"You...you don't like it...?" She questioned. She started to sound ashamed, almost guilty for trying to be nice to him, and it made Riku feel bad for not responding quick enough.

"O-of course, I do!" He quickly responded, almost immediately taking the plate from her as she looked back at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go quiet on you. I just wasn't expecting breakfast in bed." He smiled at her. "It's very kind of you. Thanks."

Hearing his gratitude caused Kiara to blush, but it was not long before she began to smile meekly. To his surprise, it was genuine, something that oddly pleased him.

"That's not all..." She went on to say with a bit more confidence. Seconds later, she pulled her other hand from behind her back and handed it to him as well. Riku was shocked to find her carrying clothing – _his_ clothing – in her hand, folded neatly and smelling as if they were just cleaned. "I...I took the liberty of cleaning your clothes, too." Her eyes shifted again. "I know it seems like a really weird thing to do since we don't know each other that well, but...I figured I'd do it so you at least had something to wear for today." She paused briefly. "I...I hope you don't mind."

Instead of processing the thought, this time, Riku was quick to use his free hand to take the clothing from her, keeping a friendly smile on his face the whole time.

"You know, you didn't have to do all this for me," he found himself saying, earning a look from Kiara. "Not that I'm not grateful for it, but..." He looked at her, "I'm still a total stranger to you."

Kiara shrugged, folding her hands in front of her in a seemingly polite manner.

"Well, I figured since you were going to be around for a while, I thought I should do something to make you feel welcomed," she explained. Riku could not help but note the fact that her stuttering was not as prominent as it was when they first met. "Besides, I...don't want to be awkward around people anymore, so I, uh, I thought it would be nice to try to work on it with you."

"I can tell," Riku stated. "You're not as awkward as you were yesterday." He paused as he watched her shift in her spot and lower her head bashfully. "Kind of." He smiled warmly. "But don't worry. I know you'll get there soon."

A flicker of hope flashed in Kiara's eyes as she looked at him again, smiling faintly at his kind words. It was evident to Riku that she was still not used to being treated in such a manner, evident in her eyes and posture. It was almost foreign to her; it was like kindness was something that ceased to exist in the castle of Hollow Bastion. Instead, it was filled to the brim with maliciousness and darkness, things that would bring any sane person down and into a state that Kiara was in now. It was a shame, too; she seemed far too kindhearted and genuine to be hanging around evil-minded people like Maleficent.

Before the silence set in, Kiara's face briefly shifted to one of surprise before looking away, averting her gaze sheepishly.

"W-well, I should...probably get going," she stuttered, taking a step back from the door to create distance. "I'm...going to see if Maleficent needs anything, and, uh," She glanced at Riku briefly, "I'll...I'll let you get situated."

Before Riku had the chance to say anything, she quickly waved a farewell before taking off down the hall, disappearing into the darkness and leaving him in silence. He stood there and watched her form vanish before heaving a sigh, entering his room once more while shutting the door behind him.

As he made his way to his bed once again, his mind began to wander to his currently missing friends. Where could they have gone? It was evident that they were nowhere in this new world, and he had no way of finding them unless he intended to travel to yet _another_ new world. Unfortunately, that idea was out of the question unless this world was consumed by darkness just like Destiny Island. He had no way of knowing how or when this world was going to be next on the chopping block, though he could not help but think that it was not likely to happen.

However, as much as the idea bugged him to no end, being in the company of someone like Maleficent could prove to be advantageous for him. Maybe, if he played his cards right with this new person, he would be given the opportunity to travel to new worlds and look for Sora and Kairi. Despite his distrust of the strange woman, he did not have any other options to pick from. It was that or be stuck in that rut of a castle for who knows how long. Being in that position was something Riku did not like, not when his friends were out there, alone and no doubt scared.

Heaving another sigh, Riku finished dressing himself and got to his feet, glancing at the plate of food sitting on the nightstand before approaching it. The only bright side that he could see was that, if given the opportunity, maybe he would also be given the chance to help Kiara find her friends. After all, they were in the same predicament, so why not do what he could to help her as much as he could while receiving the same treatment?

" **I'm glad to see you made it out in one piece, darling...** "

The sudden voice almost made him jump out of his skin, nearly draining the color in his face. Spinning around in a matter of seconds, Riku was stunned to find himself face-to-face with a familiar pair of bright yellow orbs, jumping in surprise once again and backing into the nightstand. Fortunately, nothing fell off, but losing the contents that resided there was now the least of his concerns. Blue-green eyes widened in astonishment as he realized that he was looking at the same dark being that he met on Destiny Island, the one who convinced him to not fear the darkness, the one who had convinced him to open himself up to it. Even with darkness literally encompassing her entire being, he could still see that wicked grin on her face moments before she started laughing in an almost maniacal manner.

"It's...it's you," he breathed, looking over her several times to make sure his mind was able to process what was going on.

Soon after he said that, her laughing ceased, and she looked at him once again.

" **Sorry, deary,** " the dark being apologized, moving closer to him and grinning sweetly. "D **idn't mean to scare you like that. I hope you're not** _ **too**_ **shaken.** "

Without missing a beat, Riku's astonishment was soon replaced with undeniable rage as he stood up straight.

"You _lied_ ," he growled as he stormed up to her. The being raised a confused brow, pouting, but did nothing as he stood before her, glaring at her. "You lied to me back on the island!"

It took a moment for her to realize what he was talking about, but when she did, her expression turned blank.

" **I said I would** _ **help**_ **you and your friends escape that unfortunate fate,** " the being explained calmly, unfazed by Riku's anger. " **I never said they would be by your side once it was all over.** "

"Don't you think that's something I should have known beforehand?!" Riku snapped, jabbing a finger in her direction. "They're my friends, and we were supposed to see new worlds together!" He turned his head away from her. "And now...now they're all alone on completely different worlds, and they're completely defenseless."

The dark being stared at Riku, her yellow eyes blinking while remaining void of emotion, before she glanced past him.

" **Such a shame,** " she replied nonchalantly, gliding past him in a casual manner. " **My apologies for not informing you of such information...** " Riku felt her brush against him and shivered at her oddly cold touch. " **But look on the bright side! At least they're not dead...** " She paused for a moment as she stopped in front of the nightstand. " **Not** _ **yet**_ **, anyway.** "

Fed up with her apathetic attitude toward the situation, Riku turned to look at her once more, shooting daggers into her back.

"Just who are you, anyway?" He questioned coldly. "You said you were going to help me get what I want, and you did it!" He looked around his new room. "I'm in a new world, in a new environment with new people. And yet," He looked back at her, "you're still following me around like you're some lost puppy!" His eyes narrowed. "So explain yourself. Who are you? _What_ are you? And what do you want from me?"

The dark being kept her back toward him, remaining silent as if processing the words for a beat. Despite being angry with this person – if he could even call her that – and having no desire to see her after what happened, Riku was genuinely curious about this dark being. He had to know why she was still hanging around, know what her purpose for showing her face around him after lying through her teeth. There had to be some sort of reason or excuse for it, and it was about time he got to the bottom of it.

After some time, though, she soon twirled around and looked at him, smiling in a menacingly sweet manner. It was hard for Riku to believe that her smile was anything but sweet.

" **I suppose it is courteous for me to introduce myself, since I'll be sticking around for much longer than you think,** " she answered in a small voice. " **I have gone by many names, some more...unkind than others. But** _ **you**_ **, my dear,** " Her smile grew even further, " **you may call me Shiva.** "

Riku visibly relaxed, replaying her name several times over in his mind so that he may engrave it.

"Shiva..." He unconsciously spoke. After a moment, he returned to his senses and glared at her again. "Being on a first name basis is fine, but I still have a lot of questions."

Shiva giggled at that, crossing her arms over her chest casually.

" **As you should,** " she cooed, raising one of her hands to cup her cheek gently. " **As for what I am, I am what's known as a Heartless. I am, of course, a creature that lacks a heart.** "

"A creature that lacks a heart?" Riku inquired. "How is that possible?"

" **It's quite a long story, sweetie, and it's one you'll learn about at another time,** " replied Shiva, waving her hand dismissively as if the topic was of little importance. Riku's gaze narrowed as she went on. " **Long story short, I'm similar to those shadow creatures that littered your island. However, in** _ **my**_ **case, I'm a bit different than them.** "

It took a moment for Riku to recall it, but when he did, he wasted little time in saying, "You mentioned before that you were a more sentient being. Is that what you mean by different?"

Once again, Shiva giggled and floated her way to him, shortening the distance between them so that they were only a foot away from one another.

" **Smart boy,** " she beamed, brushing a hand on his cheek and laughing when he swat it away. " **I'm glad you have such good memory because I absolutely** _ **loathe**_ **repeating myself and reminding people of the most important things**." Riku unconsciously shuttered when she spoke the word "loathe." It felt entirely different from her usual tender tone of voice. However, he said nothing as she continued. " **To answer your last question...well, I already answered it before. I don't want** _ **anything**_ **from you.** " She grinned again as her hands began to cup his face, giggling as a look of shock formed in his eyes. " **I was sent to watch over you in the hopes that you would help me.** "

The look of shock was replaced with distrust as Riku quirked a suspicious brow.

"Help...you..." He stated coolly. It was evident that he did not particularly like the idea of helping this stranger, especially after she lied to him.

" **That's right** ," Shiva nodded once, tilting her head to one side afterwards. " **I'm hoping that, when the time comes, you'll be able to assist me on a very special mission.** "

"What kind of mission?" He interrogated her. "And what makes you think I'll be willing to help you after everything that's happened?" Shiva stared down at him in a manner that a prideful queen would look down upon a lowly subject. It felt intimidating and made him feel smaller than he really did, but he kept his cool and kept his narrowed eyes locked on hers. After a moment, her hands slowly slipped away from his face, causing him to shiver from her freezing touch, before she turned away from him and back to the nightstand. The action angered him. "Hey! I asked you a question!" He scolded her.

" **I know, sweetie,** " she answered casually, picking up the plate of food and observing it. " **I'm just purposefully ignoring the question.** " A growl erupted from the silver haired boy, giving away his anger toward her response. Upon hearing this, Shiva sighed dramatically and turned her head to the side a bit. " **But...if you must know, it's something I can't discuss with you. Not yet anyway.** " A faint smile graced her lips as she looked back at the food. " **You're not ready to know about that, but you will soon enough.** "

"Why you..." Riku hissed, clenching his fists tightly as he did so. Who the hell did she think she was coming into his room, talking in riddles and laughing off his serious questions and concerns? It irked him to no end.

" **Oh, how sweet!** " Shiva suddenly proclaimed, earning a mixed look from Riku. He was upset that she was blatantly changing the subject, but he was also confused by her sudden actions. It did not take long for him to realize that she had finally taken notice to the plate of food on his nightstand. " **That girl went so far as to make you food! What an adorable little housewife-to-be!** "

It took a second for Riku to process what she meant, but when he did, his eyes rounded a bit before muttering, "Kiara?"

" _ **And**_ **you're already on a first name basis with her? What a lucky boy you are!** " Shiva laughed upon hearing Riku's words, further confusing him. " **It already seems like she's become rather fond of you. Quite the surprise, especially with how...antisocial she is.** " A ghost of a smile graced her lips as she turned to glance at him. " **A word of advice: best you keep an eye on that child, even more than you already have.** "

"You...you know Kiara?" Riku question the dark being without hesitation, ignoring her last statement. This creature was becoming stranger the more she spoke, and it was starting to frustrate and confuse him even more.

Shiva giggled in response before turning her head to look at him, grinning widely.

" **Wouldn't you like to know?** " She answered, laughing as Riku's anger began to boil over. She, then, looked at the food and traced her finger around the rim. " **If it'll make you feel better, then let me say this.** " Her gaze shifted to him, watching him for only a moment before moving away from the nightstand. " **I'm sure you've** **already picked up on the fact that there's more to that girl that meets the eye, more to her that you can't hope to find out simply by asking a hundred and one different questions.** " Riku's brows snapped together as she glided past him, noting the grin that had formed on her lips had begun fading into a smirk. " **Keep an eye on her, and you'll understand what I mean soon.** "

The sound of her laughter made Riku turn his head in her direction, watching with round eyes as she began to faze through his door. She was leaving once again, and he still had more questions than answers. Determined to keep her from leaving a second time, he sprinted toward the door, a determined look in his eyes.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" He called to her, sliding to a halt in front of the door before throwing it open. "I'm not finished with-"

He was cut short when he realized that, rather than spotting Shiva, he came face to face with Kiara once again. She appeared to have stiffened out of shock, her hand raised and curled into a fist as she was prepared to knock on his door once more. The two stood there in awkward silence, staring at one another with similar looks of astonishment and confusion. A minute seemed to pass by before Kiara's hand slowly began to fall.

"R-Riku...?" She stuttered, her brows furrowing as a look of concern crossed her features. "Are...are you alright?"

Riku stared at her for a moment, gazing over her with a bug-eyed look, before he glanced away.

"Y...yeah, I'm...fine..." He lied. As much as he did not want to, he had no way of explaining what just happened. Unfortunately, she was not convinced.

"Are you sure?" She pressed nervously. "I don't want to annoy you about it, but...i-it sounded like you were talking to someone when I arrived, so...I just..." She lowered her head and shifted her gaze, blissfully unaware of Riku's paling face. "I just...want to make sure you're alright."

Riku inhaled sharply, staring at her with rounded eyes, and kept his mouth shut. He was hoping he would not hear any part of that conversation with Shiva. It was awkward enough that he ended up in the place all by himself, but it was worse that he found himself conversing with some enigmatic Heartless who claimed that she sought him out in the hopes that he would help her. How on earth was he supposed to explain that to her? Would she even understand what he meant, or would she just think he was slowing losing his mind? The latter seemed unlikely, but he did not mark it off as not an option.

That being said, Riku faked a smile and shook his head.

"Don't worry about me," he reassured her. "I'm alright. I promise. Didn't mean to trouble you." Kiara looked at him once more, blinking as her concern remained evident on her face, but she decided not to press any further. He assumed she did not want to keep annoying him with questions, and he decided to quickly change the subject by asking, "Was there something you needed from me?"

Hearing his words made her jump, a look of realization crossing her features, before she nodded.

"Y-yes, actually!" She proclaimed, though she was quick to shrink back. "I-I mean, _I_ don't need anything from you, but I was sent here to bring you to Maleficent." She looked at him and noticed the very distinct frown on his face. He was not thrilled about seeing her as he still had no reason to trust her despite the circumstances. "She...she wishes to see you."

"What for?" Riku inquired, trying his best to remain calm and not sound harsh toward Kiara. She was merely the messenger, arriving to inform him of the news per the orders of the strange woman in charge of the castle. There was no reason to be rude to her.

Kiara, hanging her head bashfully, replied, "She...told me to say that you would learn once you got there. That's all I really know, unfortunately." Her gaze shifted. "I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize," Riku suddenly interrupted her, his eyes lowering to the floor unconsciously. The action made her look at him once again, blinking in surprise. "You didn't do anything wrong, so don't waste your breath." He continued to feel her gaze on him for a moment longer, no doubt surprised by his words once more, before he found the strength to look at her again. As expected, her eyes were widened ever so slightly in shock, and she was rendered speechless. Before the silence could set in, a ghost of a smile graced his lips as he asked, "Care to lead the way?"

With a slight flinch, Kiara nodded furiously before stepping away from the door, allowing Riku to exit and shut it behind him, before she began walking down the hall as she had done before. Riku followed behind her, his smile completely fading as his mind began to wander.

Numerous questions began to flood his mind the longer he continued to think: What was it that Maleficent wanted from him? What compelled her to take him in without much thought or hesitation? She knew nothing about him other than he had suddenly appeared on their world after losing his home. As for Riku, she knew nothing about this woman. Much like the strange Heartless Shiva, Maleficent was just as much of an enigma as the dark being.

Thinking about Shiva created more questions in his mind. Who really was Shiva? What was her purpose for searching for him, and what did he have that made him so special? Not only that, but what was this "special mission" that she mentioned before parting ways with him? She spoke in circles whenever he asked his questions, toying and teasing him out of spite, though it appeared as if she was doing so intentionally. Riku wondered if he was, indeed, ready to know that much. He wondered if Shiva was well aware of how prepared he was to know what she was up to, hence why she refused to answer him. Granted, he was still new to being outside of his world, but the least she could have done was answer his questions rather than leave him in the dark.

Unable to comprehend anything that was going on, Riku sighed inwardly, turning his blank gaze forward. He had hoped he would get the answers he wanted. Whether they were good or bad, however, was, unfortunately, still a mystery.


	19. Maleficent

The trek to Maleficent's location – a place Kiara referred to as the Castle Chapel – was much longer and far more intricate than Riku had originally anticipated when he first left his room. Despite the sheer size of it at first glance, it never truly occurred to him just how vast and intricate such a rustic looking castle could be; that is, of course, until he began following Kiara through the empty halls and saw for himself. Just seeing it all made him feel like he was given a grand tour of what he believed was his new home, even though it certainly did not feel like the place he had grown so accustomed to over the years. Even as he walked through the halls, he wondered if he would ever see the white sands of the island ever again.

Riku immediately pushed those thoughts to the side. This was what he asked for, was it not? He wanted to see other worlds for himself. Still, was it worth the price of losing both the island and his friends?

The floating rocks outside of the castle, the ones that resided near the rising waterfalls, were just the start of it all; it may as well have been common fodder compared to what lied ahead. Within the castle were numerous magic lifts that floated from one level to the next, each with their own unique paths that never intercepted the other. It was through these lifts that the two were able to make their way forward without much trouble, and they were even able to steal a few glances at the scenery the higher they climbed. There was even the coup de gras of all magic lifts that floated just in front of the castle, passing by what Kiara had explained was the emblem of certain types of Heartless.

"There is an indescribable amount of Heartless that exist throughout the worlds," she explained to him as they slowly floated by, her eyes glazing over the insignia with a distant look. "Certain types like Shadows, the creatures you may have seen on your island, do not carry this symbol. They are referred to as 'Pureblood Heartless,' and the ones that have the symbol are known as 'Emblem Heartless.'"

Riku noticed her frown in deep thought, raising a brow of curiosity.

"What's the difference?" He inquired curiously, wanting to learn more about these mysterious creatures.

Kiara's gaze fell, moving one hand to her chin and thinking.

"From my understanding, the Pureblood Heartless are born when a person's heart becomes swallowed by the darkness," she explained, stealing a glance at the silver haired boy. "However, I've noticed in the recent years that they're sometimes drawn out by sources of dark power or even by a dark being." A light pout formed on her lips. "As for the Emblem Heartless, it's not clear as to where they came from, but the only notable characteristics that make them different is their appearance and the symbol on their body." Kiara paused as she lowered her head. "At least, that's the best answer that I could come up with, anyway. I never really read into it too much to know for certain."

To his surprise, Riku noticed her shift stiffly as if she were about to speak only to be met with silence. He wondered if she was going to apologize for not having the answers ready for him. However, judging from the way she shifted in her place, it indicated that she resisted the urge to do so. The sight made him inwardly smile; she was starting to learn the longer she remained in his presence.

As they continued their trek through the castle, Riku could not help but look back on the mysterious words of the Heartless named Shiva, one that he presumed was a Pureblood Heartless based on the fact that there was no insignia on her. More questions had come about than answered, and it was frustrating, to say the least. What was she planning, anyway, and what did it have to do with him? He was just some kid who wanted to see other worlds with his friends. What was so special about him? Maybe it had something to do with showing no fear of the darkness; maybe she took it as a sign of him being someone special and stuck around to keep an eye on him. However, it had to be more than that. According to Shiva, she had been watching him for quite some time. How long it was, however, was still a mystery, but it would certainly bring him closer to the answer of why she remained close by.

Another baffling topic of interest was what Shiva knew about Kiara. It was evident that the enigmatic Heartless was familiar with the girl that led him through Hollow Bastion, but the question remained clear: How? Was it under similar circumstances to Riku? Had Shiva convinced Kiara to open her heart to the darkness, to stand before it without fear? Maybe, but it was too soon to tell. Besides the fact that they had lost their worlds to the darkness along with their friends, Riku knew little to nothing about this girl. He would have asked her about everything she had gone through, but he was unsure if now was the right time. They were still strangers to one another, so asking personal questions like may have been a bit too much. Nevertheless, the feeling of wanting to know more remained present in Riku.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking, Riku and Kiara finally reached the desired location where Maleficent resided. It was a short walk from one end of the chapel to the other, but it was not long before Riku laid eyes on the woman once more. Separating them was a massive round table that appeared to have lifted out of the ground itself rather than being placed in their path. Riku felt unsure if that was a good thing or not, but he tried his best to remain focused on what exactly this stranger wanted from him.

"Ah, you have arrived," Maleficent greeted him, her gaze remaining focused on him as she smiled. "I was worried that you may have gotten lost."

Riku looked in Kiara's direction, noting how she kept her head down and did not look in Maleficent's direction.

"Well, I guess you can thank my guide for that," he answered.

Kiara jumped at look at him, eyes widened ever so slightly, before looking back at her feet. He noticed a small smile gracing her lips, a silent way of saying "Thank you."

When Riku looked at Maleficent once more, he noticed the sudden change in her expression. It became dull, almost uninterested in Kiara's presence. It was confirmed as she called the girl.

"Your presence is no longer needed, child," she commanded her nonchalantly, dismissing her with a simple flick of the wrist. The sight along struck a nerve with Riku; what was that all about? "You may go now."

Without a word, Kiara muttered a simple, "Yes, ma'am." before turning away from them, departing from the room as quietly as a mouse. Riku watched her leave for a moment, waiting for her to exit the room in silence. After the door had shut behind her, and the room almost became silent, he swiftly turned back to her with a glare in his eyes.

"You should have at least thanked her," he stated coldly.

To his surprise, Maleficent was not offended by his harshness. Instead, she merely returned the look with a much softer, yet baleful gaze.

"Fret not, my dear," she began to assure him. "That girl is of no importance, and it's best to pay little mind to her." Her gaze shifted to glance behind him as if she was expecting Kiara to be there. "Think of her as a servant of ours. Her only purpose for being here to do our bidding and nothing more."

The comment upset Riku as his hands balled into fists.

"If she isn't that important to you, then you should just get rid of her instead of treating her like trash," he retorted angrily.

Maleficent did not look at him this time, and her gaze seemed to become distant the longer she looked away from him. Even though he was still upset, the sight shifted his expression to one of curiosity. Before he could ask, she spoke.

"If only it were that simple..." She muttered out loud. Riku blinked, baffled by the strange comment, as Maleficent returned her gaze to him once more. "But enough about that girl. She's enough of a thorn in my side as it is." She began approaching the altar at the center of the room. "She tells me that you, too, have lost your world to the darkness. Is that right?"

Riku eyed her cautiously, still wondering what she meant by Kiara being a "thorn in her side," but decided against questioning it as he replied, "Yeah. It's true."

"Then that also means that you have lost two of your friends along the way," she went on, stopping at the altar while keeping her gaze focused on him.

The statement caused him to look away, remembering the faces of his friends that were supposed to be at his side.

"Sora...Kairi..." He unconsciously muttered out loud. After a beat, a moment of realization struck him as he quickly looked back at her. "Wait, why are you bringing them up all of a sudden?"

Maleficent grinned at the sight as if she had him right where she wanted him.

"The girl had informed me of this as well," she explained. "Not only that, but I may know their whereabouts as we speak."

The news perked him up, yet Riku remained vigilant as he asked, "Tell me! Where are they?"

"But are you certain you are prepared to see them?" She inquired cryptically. "They may not be the same as when you last saw them?"

Riku blinked, eying her suspiciously.

"What do you mean? It hasn't been that long since we've been separated," he informed her. "There's no way they could have changed that quickly."

"Oh, quite the contrary, actually," she retorted, earning a confused look from Riku.

Before he could say anything else, she waved her hand over the altar, causing it to glow and reveal several images before their eyes. From the platform appeared four figures conversing silently with one another, one of which Riku immediately recognized as his hands fell to the concrete.

"Sora!" He exclaimed, the ghost of a smile almost forming on his lips while a wave of relief overcame him. He was alright; he survived the events that had taken place. However, his gaze shifted to the three remaining people in the party: a duck, a dog, and a girl with what appeared to be a rabbit-lion creature on her shoulder. He did not recognize them, and he could not help but openly ask, "Who...who are they?"

Maleficent chuckled at that, walking around the altar as she approached him.

"It would seem that these are his new friends," she answered casually. "Friends that he appears to have met not long after leaving his own world." Riku said nothing, baffled by the sight and by her words. She stopped walking, keeping a short distance from him, as she went on. "It would appear that these friends of his – Sora, was it? - have taken your place and... _replaced_ you and your friend Kairi."

The statement, once again, struck a nerve with him as Riku angrily turned to look at her.

"That's a lie!" He snapped. "You're making up stories!"

"How else would you explain what you see, my boy?" Maleficent questioned, gesturing to the sight of Sora and his comrades.

Riku looked at the images again, eying over each of them before looking back at her.

"Sora would never try to replace Kairi and me!" He assured her with a sense of confidence. "I know him better than anyone else! He wouldn't do anything like that!"

"I only speak of what I know," she informs him, turning her attention to the images as well. "If he truly cared about finding you and Kairi, then he would not be running off with these three to different worlds and having fun."

Riku froze, relaying Maleficent's words in her head once more, before slowly looking back in her direction. His eyes rounded in bewilderment and horror, barely able to comprehend what she was saying.

"W...what?"

"I've been observing this boy for some time, and that's what I've seen," she explained as she turned away from him. "I'm only telling you what I know."

"Why, though?" He asked, looking in her direction as she began to walk to the opposite side of the altar once again. "Why are you telling me this?"

When she arrived at the other end, Maleficent turned to face him with a smile on her face; it was far from pleasant, Riku noted.

"Because I wish to help you, my dear," she told him, keeping her smile as Riku looked at her suspiciously. She glanced at the images once more. "You see, your so-called friend has completely forgotten about you and Kairi, opting to spend more time with them rather than searching for you two. However," She looked back at Riku, who also was staring at the images before him, " _I_ only wish to take you under my wing and help you find what you're searching for." Riku slowly glanced at her. "After all, Kairi is still out there, defenseless and at the mercy of the unknown."

Riku stared at her for a long moment, taking her words into consideration before looking away.

She had a point, he begrudgingly admitted. Kairi was still out there without any protection. Where could she have ended up? Was she in a safe place, or did she wind up somewhere that she could get hurt? Numerous question circulated in his mind, and it was these thoughts alone that made him consider taking Maleficent up on her offer.

However, there was only one deterrent that prevented him from jumping to the task: Riku knew she was lying about Sora. Regardless of what he witnessed, Sora would never dream of replacing his friends with new ones. He cared about everyone equally, and the thought was way too far-fetched to be true. Maleficent, as he mentioned before, did not know Sora like him. Riku and Kairi were Sora's best friends, a statement that explained their whole story without having to go in detail. He always fought for his friends, to protect them from any and all sorts of danger, even if he was just under Riku in strength and skill.

Riku could not believe it, and he knew he had to defend his best friend from accusations that would tamper his name.

"No, thanks," Riku finally spoke, turning his gaze to Maleficent. It was blank, yet it still held a sense of confidence over the belief that Sora was anything but unkind. "Sora isn't the type to turn his back on his friends, and I refuse to believe that he would do it now."

Maleficent hummed at his answer, closing her eyes.

"It seems your bond with him is quite clear," she commented out loud. "I'd be pleased if it was true."

"Then I'll prove it!" Riku retorted. "I told you that I know him better than anyone, and I can prove that!"

Maleficent raised a brow in interest; it was almost as if she had a plan spark in her mind the moment he made that statement.

"If you wish to prove it," she began to say, "then, by all means, do so. I would be more than happy to be proven wrong if it clears your conscience."

With a determined gaze, he looked back at the images.

"Where are they now?"

"Traveling between worlds, no doubt," she informed him as she turned away from. "Where their next stop will be, I am not sure." Riku's gaze narrowed in frustration; some help she turned out to be. "If anything, you're free to join Kiara on her next mission outside of this world."

Riku's attention immediately shot to Maleficent as she began ascending the small set of stairs.

"She's...on a mission?"

"Indeed," she replied. "She may be a servant, but she's still required to assist us in our mission."

"And what mission," Riku could not help but inquire, "is that supposed to be?"

Maleficent laughed in response before turning to look at him, her smile still plastered on her dark lips.

"I will be more than happy to inform you," she started, "once you return here from _your_ mission." Riku said nothing in response, instead choosing to keep quiet for now as he began to turn away from him. "One more thing before you depart, boy." Maleficent suddenly called out to him. He looked at her, eying her cautiously as she turned to face him. "It seems you've taken quite an interest in that girl." Riku's brows furrowed, yet he said nothing. "I'd be cautious of her intentions. She may play the role of some innocent, meek little girl, but there's more to her that you don't know." She turned her head. "She's not of crucial importance to me, but that doesn't mean what I'm doing isn't critical to her."

Riku stared at her for a long moment, his gaze widened ever so slightly in confusion at her strange choice of words. He remained that way for another moment before slowly turning away and heading for the door.

His eyes, while rooted to the exit in front of him, soon became distant as more questions came to surface. What on earth did Maleficent mean by that, by being wary of Kiara's intentions? Sure, the dark haired girl came off as being meek and well-mannered, but she never came as anything else to him. She was hard on herself, no doubt due to Maleficent's treatment of her over the course of Kiara's stay, but she was still always kind. Maybe Kiara was secretly plotting against Maleficent, and the witch was acutely aware of it. If that was the case, then why not do away with her before Kiara made a move?

However, it immediately occurred to Riku that there was one other person that said something similar not that long ago: Shiva. Shiva also warned him that there was more to Kiara than what he already knew, more than he could comprehend. She, too, advised him to keep a close eye on Kiara so that he could understand what she meant by that. Odd that two people he was unsure about would say the same thing, but was that really the case? Were Maleficent and Shiva thinking along the same wavelength or separately? Did Maleficent even _know_ about Shiva and her existence as a whole?

More and more questions continued to flood his mind as he opened the door and made his exit. He decided at that point that he would rather see with his own two eyes just who Kiara was. Maybe spending time with her would aid him in his view of her. And maybe, just maybe, he could find someone to put his trust instead of giving it to the two people that only ran circles around him with their words. Hopefully, Kiara would not turn out to be just like them.


End file.
